Monopolistic Competition — Definition and Characteristics

Htailor
3 min readOct 17, 2022

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Monopolistic Competition

Monopolistic competition is a state of the market where there is fierce competition between companies that sell similar goods. Businesses can profit from the competition, but doing so requires inventiveness. By grasping this concept, you can better understand the underlying principles of microeconomics and how the economy functions.

We will go into more detail about monopolistic competition, go over its characteristics, and look at how it varies from perfect competition.

  • Definition of monopolistic competition:

In a market with monopolistic competition, many companies offer products that are similar yet somewhat different. When evaluating its degrees of competition, this kind of situation can be found anywhere between an openly competitive market and a pure monopoly.

No company in a market with monopolistic competition has a complete monopoly over any of its rivals, and companies have some control over the prices they set for their services. As a result, companies can enter a market quickly when they think there is a potential of profiting from it and leave it quickly when they think there is a lower likelihood of doing so.

Businesses in these markets usually have short-term financial success, but longer-term financial success may require greater innovation.

A market with a monopolistic structure is comparable to one with both a monopoly and perfect competition. Monopolistic competition lies in the middle, whereas perfect competition and monopoly are at the opposing ends of the spectrum.

However, there are also little obstacles to entry, simple routes to the market, and simple routes out of the market, which is equivalent to perfect competition.

Monopolistic competition, in its simplest form, describes a market structure where a large number of rivals provide products that are only slightly different. Then, they compete based on standards other than price, such as dependability, and quality.

  • Here are some characteristics of monopolistic competition:
  1. Profits.
  2. Free entry and exit from the market.
  3. Provide products and services that are slightly different from each other.
  4. Inculcates many companies.
  5. Has no consumer knowledge.
  • Key takeaway:

A monopoly is when one company has total control over a market and may establish its own prices for its products without fear of competition. Monopolies limit consumer options and control production quality and quantity.

Monopolistic competitive companies are compelled to compete with one another, which restricts their ability to raise prices significantly without reducing demand and provides buyers with a wide range of product options. Monopolistic competition occurs more frequently than monopolies, which are discouraged in nations with open markets.

  • Conclusion: Monopolistic competition arises when many companies offer rival products or services that are similar but not exact substitutes. Burger and pizza restaurants and clothing and hair salons are two examples of industries with monopolistic competition.
    In order to acquire market share, aggressive enterprises frequently employ branding or discount price strategies in their pricing and marketing plans. To understand monopolistic competition in detail kindly visit desklib, where you will get a comprehensive knowledge of monopolistic competition and terms related to that.

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