We propose an evolutionary framework for studying agents that interact in electronic marketplaces. We describe how this framework could be used to study the dynamics of interaction and evolution of agent strategies. We present experimental results from a simulated market, where multiple service providers compete for customers using different pricing strategies. The results show that service providers having different strategies and capacities occupy different niches in the market. Categories and Subject Descriptors K.4.4 [Computers and Society]: E-commerce; I.2.11 [Artificial Intelligence]: Distributed Artificial Intelligence General Terms Social, Economics, Simulation Keywords Evolution, Adaptation and Learning
Wolfgang Ketter, Alexander Babanov, Maria L. Gini