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"Call for prices": Strategic implications of raising consumers' costs

Publication ,  Journal Article
Desai, PS; Krishnamoorthy, A; Sainam, P
Published in: Marketing Science
January 1, 2010

Many consumer durable retailers often do not advertise their prices and instead ask consumers to call them for prices. It is easy to see that this practice increases the consumers' cost of learning the prices of products they are considering, yet firms commonly use such practices. Not advertising prices may reduce the firm's advertising costs, but the strategic effects of doing so are not clear. Our objective is to examine the strategic effects of this practice. In particular, how does making price discovery more difficult for consumers affect competing retailers' price, service decisions, and profits? We develop a model in which a manufacturer sells its product through a high-service retailer and a low-service retailer. Consumers can purchase the retail service at the high-end retailer and purchase the product at the competing low-end retailer. Therefore, the high-end retailer faces a free-riding problem. A retailer first chooses its optimal service levels. Then, it chooses its optimal price levels. Finally, a retailer decides whether to advertise its prices. The model results in four structures: (1) both retailers advertise prices, (2) only the low-service retailer advertises price, (3) only the high-service retailer advertises price, and (4) neither retailer advertises price. We find that when a retailer does not advertise its price and makes price discovery more difficult for consumers, the competition between the retailers is less intense. However, the retailer is forced to charge a lower price. In addition, if the competing retailer does advertise its prices, then the competing retailer enjoys higher profit margins. We identify conditions under which each of the above four structures is an equilibrium and show that a low-service retailer not advertising its price is a more likely outcome than a high-service retailer doing so. We then solve the manufacturer's problem and find that there are several instances when a retailer's advertising decisions are different from what the manufacturer would want. We describe the nature of this channel coordination problem and identify some solutions. © 2010 INFORMS.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Marketing Science

DOI

EISSN

1526-548X

ISSN

0732-2399

Publication Date

January 1, 2010

Volume

29

Issue

1

Start / End Page

158 / 174

Related Subject Headings

  • Marketing
  • 3506 Marketing
  • 1505 Marketing
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Desai, P. S., Krishnamoorthy, A., & Sainam, P. (2010). "Call for prices": Strategic implications of raising consumers' costs. Marketing Science, 29(1), 158–174. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1090.0498
Desai, P. S., A. Krishnamoorthy, and P. Sainam. “"Call for prices": Strategic implications of raising consumers' costs.” Marketing Science 29, no. 1 (January 1, 2010): 158–74. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1090.0498.
Desai PS, Krishnamoorthy A, Sainam P. "Call for prices": Strategic implications of raising consumers' costs. Marketing Science. 2010 Jan 1;29(1):158–74.
Desai, P. S., et al. “"Call for prices": Strategic implications of raising consumers' costs.” Marketing Science, vol. 29, no. 1, Jan. 2010, pp. 158–74. Scopus, doi:10.1287/mksc.1090.0498.
Desai PS, Krishnamoorthy A, Sainam P. "Call for prices": Strategic implications of raising consumers' costs. Marketing Science. 2010 Jan 1;29(1):158–174.

Published In

Marketing Science

DOI

EISSN

1526-548X

ISSN

0732-2399

Publication Date

January 1, 2010

Volume

29

Issue

1

Start / End Page

158 / 174

Related Subject Headings

  • Marketing
  • 3506 Marketing
  • 1505 Marketing