scholarly journals Price and Service Competition in a Dual-Channel Supply Chain with Product Customization

Complexity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Jian Wang ◽  
Huijuan Jiang

This paper considers a dual-channel supply chain with product customization. One manufacturer and one retailer are involved. The online direct sales channel sells standard and customized products, and the offline retail channel sells standard products. The prices and service levels of products sold via different channels are differentiated, and the customization level which influences the customization cost and choices of customers is decided by the manufacturer. Three game models are proposed: the manufacturer Stackelberg (MS) model, the retailer Stackelberg (RS) model, and the Nash game model. The price and service decisions of the players are derived. Meanwhile, a service-cost-sharing contract is designed for the MS model. The impacts of price and service competition, service cost, and customers sensitivity to the customization level on the optimal decisions are investigated. Through the numerical analysis, we find that, among the three models, the manufacturer Stackelberg model is the most beneficial game structure for the overall supply chain but has the largest revenue gap between the two members. Second, under price competition and service competition, the manufacturer should differentiate the prices and services for direct sales standard products and customized products according to his market status. Third, the manufacturer should increase customization expenditures to construct his customization production line and provide more diversified products when consumers are more sensitive to product customization.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Minglun Ren ◽  
Jiqiong Liu ◽  
Shuai Feng ◽  
Aifeng Yang ◽  
Florentino Borondo

This paper investigates a pricing game and service cooperation for complementary products in a dual-channel supply chain composed of two manufacturers and one retailer. The products of the two manufacturers are complementary products. One manufacturer sells products simultaneously through its own online channel and the traditional retailer, and the manufacturer delivers the product’s service to the retailer in its network direct sales channel by cooperating with the retailer in the form of service cost sharing. Considering the different market power structures of channel members, we establish three different pricing game models. By using the backward induction method and game theory, we obtain the corresponding analytical equilibrium solutions. Then, the service cooperation strategy of using the channel service sensitivity coefficients to construct the weight to share the service cost is proposed. Finally, numerical examples of optimal pricing strategies and profit conditions in different game situations are given, and sensitivity analysis of some key parameters is selectively performed, in which some valuable management insights are obtained.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huihui Liu ◽  
Shuguang Sun ◽  
Ming Lei ◽  
G. Keong Leong ◽  
Honghui Deng

Many studies examine information sharing in an uncertain demand environment in a supply chain. However there is little literature on cost information sharing in a dual-channel structure consisting of a retail channel and a direct sales channel. Assuming that the retail sale cost and direct sale cost are random variables with a general distribution, the paper investigates the retailer’s choice on cost information sharing in a Bertrand competition model. Based on the equilibrium outcome of information sharing, the manufacturer’s channel choice is discussed in detail. Our paper provides several interesting conclusions. In both single- and dual-channel structures, the retailer has little motivation to share its private cost information which is verified to be valuable for the manufacturer. When the cost correlation between the two channels increases, our analyses show that the manufacturer’s profit improves. However, when channel choice is involved, the value of information could play a different role. The paper finds that a dual-channel structure can benefit the manufacturer only when the cost correlation is sufficiently low. In addition, if the cost correlation is weak, the cost fluctuation will bring out the advantage of a dual-channel structure and adding a new direct channel will help in risk pooling.


Author(s):  
Guangye Xu ◽  
Hanguang Qiu

Internet has revolutionized distribution channels. Online orders are forwarded to the brick-and-mortar store to make the fulfillment, which is a new distribution strategy in a dual-channel supply chain. However, there is little research on the value of using such distribution strategy in dual-channel setting. To fill this gap, this article considers a manufacturer marketing a product through a dual-channel supply chain, comprised of an online channel and an offline retail channel. We develop a game theory model to investigate the pricing decisions and the distribution strategies, as well as to examine the impacts of the new distribution strategy on price competition and the dual-channel supply chain member's profits. By comparing the results of the traditional distribution strategy and the new distribution strategy, we find that the new distribution strategy can soften price competition when the proportion of the revenue generated by the direct channel is high enough, while if the proportion is low enough, it may intensify price competition. We also find that the supply chain members can achieve a win-win situation when the wholesale price is higher, and the proportion is greater under the new distribution strategy.


Complexity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Cheng Che ◽  
Yi Chen ◽  
Xiaoguang Zhang ◽  
Zhihong Zhang

With the implementation of national carbon emission reduction policies and the development of online shopping, manufacturers are making low-carbon efforts and selling products through dual channels. This paper constructs a dual-channel supply chain decision-making model composed of low-carbon emission reduction manufacturers and retailers and studies the optimal decision-making problem of the supply chain under subsidies by the government based on emission reduction R&D and per unit product emission reduction. The research results show the following: (1) when the government subsidizes emission reduction R&D, the emission reduction will have an impact on retailers’ optimal prices, manufacturers’ optimal wholesale prices, and optimal direct sales channel sales prices. The profit of the manufacturer increases with the increase in carbon emissions, and the profit of the manufacturer increases to a certain level and then appears to decline. (2) When the government adopts a subsidy method based on the emission reduction per unit product, the manufacturer’s wholesale price and the selling price of direct sales channels, as well as the retailer’s own optimal price, will increase with the increase in emission reductions. Retailers’ profits will increase linearly with the increase in carbon emissions. Manufacturers’ profits will first increase in a straight line and then increase in a curve.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Qin Wan ◽  
Yu Huang ◽  
Cuiting Yu ◽  
Meili Lu

This study focuses on a a dual-channel supply chain that consists of a capital-constrained brick-and-mortar retailer and a manufacturer, where a manufacturer can simultaneously sell products through a traditional retail channel and a direct online channel. Supplementary pricing strategy and competitive pricing strategy are simulated in our model, and we find that the former one is the better choice for the manufacturer when the retailer suffers capital constraints. In our analysis, the capital constraint on retailer could mitigate the price competition between two channels, and it may be beneficial to the manufacturer under certain conditions. Our findings show that the manufacturer should strategically provide trade credit to retailers rather than unconditionally provide it. We present two trade-credit strategies (trade credit with positive interest rate and trade credit with zero interest rate) and suggest that the manufacturer should choose an appropriate trade-credit strategy according to the initial capital of the retailer. To guide the manufacturer when and how to provide trade credit, we conduct several numerical simulations based on our results and further plot out a graph to direct the manufacturer to an appropriate strategy of trade credit.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhai Ma ◽  
Qiuxiang Li ◽  
Binshuo Bao

In order to explore how the manufacturers make decisions when two manufacturers compete for local advertising investment, we examine two noncooperative models (Stackelberg and Nash game) and propose a cost sharing contract to investigate channel competition of dual-channel supply chain. The dominant power between manufacturer and retailer and the effect of channel competition strategy on price are mainly discussed. In addition, dynamic system concepts are integrated into Stackelberg game model based on bounded rational mechanism. We analyze the local stability and find that the stability level of the dual-channel supply chains depends crucially on the price adjustment speed, the level of demand uncertainty, and the risk preference. The outcome shows that, under the master-slave game model, the profits of manufacturers are greater than that under decentralized decision-making mode, and the profits of retailers under master-slave game model are less than that under decentralized decision-making mode. The profits of manufacturers and retailers in the stable region are greater than that in unstable region. Finally, the delay feedback control method is utilized and effectively controls the chaotic behavior of dual-channel supply chain model. The results have theoretical and practical significance for the game models in terms of advertising and price competition.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lili Ren ◽  
Yong He ◽  
Houfei Song

Products returned by consumers are common in the retail industry and result in additional costs to both the manufacturer and the retailer. This paper proposes dual-channel supply chain models involving consumer returns policies. Also, the price and service competition between retail channel and direct channel is considered in the models. According to the models, we analyze the optimal decisions in both centralized and decentralized scenarios. Then we design a new contract, coordinate the dual-channel supply chain, and enable both the retailer and the manufacturer to be a win-win.


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