Multiproduct Retailing

S-Tier
Journal: Review of Economic Studies
Year: 2015
Volume: 82
Issue: 1
Pages: 360-390

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We study the pricing behaviour of a multiproduct firm, when consumers must pay a search cost to learn its prices. Equilibrium prices are high, because consumers understand that visiting a store exposes them to a hold-up problem. However, a firm with more products charges lower prices, because it attracts consumers who are more price sensitive. Similarly, when a firm advertises a low price on one product, consumers rationally expect it to charge somewhat lower prices on its other products as well. We therefore find that having a large product range, and advertising a low price on one product, are substitute ways of building a “low-price image”. Finally, we show that in a competitive setting each product has a high regular price, with firms occasionally giving random discounts that are positively correlated across products.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:restud:v:82:y:2015:i:1:p:360-390
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29