Street Vending

Last registered on July 16, 2026
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Street Vending
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010422
Initial registration date
November 15, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
November 18, 2022, 12:15 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
July 16, 2026, 5:58 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
India
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Ronak Jain
Affiliation
Harvard University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-07-01
End date
2023-08-31
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
Street Vending, Buyer Behavior, Seller Strategy, Beliefs
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Street vending is an important source of subsistence for the urban poor in developing countries. This study seeks to understand buyer and seller behavior in this market. Specifically, the study examines vendors’ business strategies and how these relate to their beliefs about buyers.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Jain, Ronak. 2026. "Street Vending ." AEA RCT Registry. July 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10422-1.2
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Using experimental variation in seller approach and price quoted, the study tries to understand if and how purchase rates differ between different types of sellers. There is no "treatment" or "intervention" as such and the research seeks to compare purchasing behavior across different passerby groups for child and adult sellers. The PAP gives the details of the randomization design.
Intervention (Hidden)
Using experimentally induced variation in seller approach and price quoted, the study tries to understand if and how purchase rates differ between different types of sellers. Specifically, I partner with street vendors to randomize whether and which passerby they approach to sell a good (categorizing buyers into ‘Single Male’, ‘Single Female’, ‘Males Together’, ‘Females Together’ and ‘Couples’) and the price they quote (‘Low’ or ‘High’). Randomization is within-vendor. The PAP gives the details of the randomization design. There is no "intervention"/"treatment" as such and the research seeks to compare purchasing behavior across different passerby groups for child and adult sellers. All observations across child and adult vendors will be pooled together respectively for comparing purchasing rates of different types of buyers across child and adult vendors.
Intervention Start Date
2022-08-01
Intervention End Date
2023-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Purchase Rates/Sales
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Earnings
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
I randomize whether and which type of buyer a vendor approaches to sell a good to and the price they quote. Randomization is within-vendor. The PAP gives the details of the randomization design.
Experimental Design Details
Using experimentally induced variation in seller approach and price quoted, the study tries to understand if and how purchase rates differ between different types of sellers. Specifically, I partner with street vendors to randomize whether and which passerby they approach to sell a good (categorizing buyers into ‘Single Male’, ‘Single Female’, ‘Males Together’, ‘Females Together’ and ‘Couples’) and the price they quote (‘Low’ or ‘High’). Randomization is within-vendor. The PAP gives the details of the randomization design. All observations across child and adult vendors will be pooled together respectively for comparing purchasing rates of different types of buyers across child and adult vendors.
Randomization Method
Randomization was pre-programmed in Qualtrics.
Randomization Unit
Randomization is within-vendor. In analysis, all observations across child and adult vendors will be pooled together respectively for comparing purchasing rates of different types of buyers across child and adult vendors. In the analysis, standard errors will be clustered at the vendor level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA (see above)
Sample size: planned number of observations
1000-2000 passersby within each randomization design cell. See PAP for details.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1000-2000 passersby within each randomization design cell. See PAP for details.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard University-Area Committee on the Use of Human Subjects
IRB Approval Date
2021-06-04
IRB Approval Number
IRB19-1905
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

PAP

MD5: aed133c967dedf0cf971bc3c667df6a8

SHA1: dc34cdded3e5d239eafac50f3cac75f61cc91015

Uploaded At: November 15, 2022

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials