IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormksc/v28y2009i2p309-319.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Strategic Assortment Reduction by a Dominant Retailer

Author

Listed:
  • Anthony J. Dukes

    (Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089)

  • Tansev Geylani

    (Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260)

  • Kannan Srinivasan

    (Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213)

Abstract

In certain product categories, large discount retailers are known to offer shallower assortments than traditional retailers. In this paper, we investigate the competitive incentives for such assortment decisions and the implications for manufacturers' distribution strategies. Our results show that if one retailer has the channel power to determine its assortment first, then it can strategically reduce its assortment by carrying only the popular variety while simultaneously inducing the rival retailer to carry both the specialty and popular varieties. The rival retailer then bears higher assortment costs, which leads to relaxed price competition for the commonly carried popular variety. We also show that when the manufacturer has relative channel power, it chooses alternatively to distribute both product varieties through both retailers. Our analysis suggests, therefore, that when a retailer becomes dominant in the distribution channel, it facilitates retail segmentation into discount shops, carrying limited product lines, and specialty shops carrying wider assortments. We also illustrate how retailer power leading to strategic assortment reduction can lead to lower consumer surplus.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony J. Dukes & Tansev Geylani & Kannan Srinivasan, 2009. "Strategic Assortment Reduction by a Dominant Retailer," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(2), pages 309-319, 03-04.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormksc:v:28:y:2009:i:2:p:309-319
    DOI: 10.1287/mksc.1080.0399
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1080.0399
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mksc.1080.0399?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William J. Baumol & Edward A. Ide, 1956. "Variety in Retailing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(1), pages 93-101, October.
    2. Nanda Kumar & Ram Rao, 2006. "Research Note—Using Basket Composition Data for Intelligent Supermarket Pricing," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(2), pages 188-199, 03-04.
    3. Jagmohan Raju & Z. John Zhang, 2005. "Channel Coordination in the Presence of a Dominant Retailer," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(2), pages 254-262, February.
    4. Trichy Krishan & Kitty Koelemeijer & Ram Rao, 2002. "Consistent Assortment Provision and Service Provision in a Retail Environment," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 54-73, April.
    5. John T. Gourville & Dilip Soman, 2005. "Overchoice and Assortment Type: When and Why Variety Backfires," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 382-395, July.
    6. Lan Luo & P. K. Kannan & Brian T. Ratchford, 2007. "New Product Development Under Channel Acceptance," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(2), pages 149-163, 03-04.
    7. Vrinda Kadiyali & Pradeep Chintagunta & Naufel Vilcassim, 2000. "Manufacturer-Retailer Channel Interactions and Implications for Channel Power: An Empirical Investigation of Pricing in a Local Market," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(2), pages 127-148, September.
    8. Roman Inderst & Greg Shaffer, 2007. "Retail Mergers, Buyer Power and Product Variety," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(516), pages 45-67, January.
    9. Tansev Geylani & Anthony J. Dukes & Kannan Srinivasan, 2007. "Strategic Manufacturer Response to a Dominant Retailer," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(2), pages 164-178, 03-04.
    10. Stephen J. Hoch & Eric T. Bradlow & Brian Wansink, 1999. "The Variety of an Assortment," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 527-546.
    11. Sharad Borle & Peter Boatwright & Joseph B. Kadane & Joseph C. Nunes & Shmueli Galit, 2005. "The Effect of Product Assortment Changes on Customer Retention," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(4), pages 616-622, July.
    12. Munson, Charles L. & Rosenblatt, Meir J. & Rosenblatt, Zehava, 1999. "The use and abuse of power in supply chains," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 55-65.
    13. Gérard P. Cachon & A. Gürhan Kök, 2007. "Category Management and Coordination in Retail Assortment Planning in the Presence of Basket Shopping Consumers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(6), pages 934-951, June.
    14. Paul R. Messinger & Chakravarthi Narasimhan, 1997. "A Model of Retail Formats Based on Consumers' Economizing on Shopping Time," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(1), pages 1-23.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alibeiki, Hedayat & Li, Shanling & Vaidyanathan, Ramnath, 2020. "Market dominance or product cost advantage: Retail power impacts on assortment decisions," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    2. Ru, Jun & Sethi, Suresh & Shi, Ruixia & Zhang, Jun, 2023. "Channel power shift and store brand introduction," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    3. Wiebach, Nicole & Hildebrandt, Lutz, 2012. "Explaining customers' switching patterns to brand delisting," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 1-10.
    4. Miller, Christopher M. & Smith, Stephen A. & McIntyre, Shelby H. & Achabal, Dale D., 2010. "Optimizing and Evaluating Retail Assortments for Infrequently Purchased Products," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 86(2), pages 159-171.
    5. Draganska, Michaela & Klapper, Daniel & Villas-Boas, Sofia B., 2007. "Determinants of Margins in the Distribution Channel: An Empirical Investigation," Research Papers 1959, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    6. Anocha Aribarg & Neeraj Arora, 2008. "—Interbrand Variant Overlap: Impact on Brand Preference and Portfolio Profit," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(3), pages 474-491, 05-06.
    7. Jonah Berger & Michaela Draganska & Itamar Simonson, 2007. "The Influence of Product Variety on Brand Perception and Choice," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(4), pages 460-472, 07-08.
    8. Yan, Huan & Chang, En-Chung & Chou, Ting-Jui & Tang, Xiaofei, 2015. "The over-categorization effect: How the number of categorizations influences shoppers' perceptions of variety and satisfaction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 631-638.
    9. Michaela Draganska & Daniel Klapper & Sofia B. Villas-Boas, 2010. "A Larger Slice or a Larger Pie? An Empirical Investigation of Bargaining Power in the Distribution Channel," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(1), pages 57-74, 01-02.
    10. Beneke, Justin & Cumming, Alice & Jolly, Lindsey, 2013. "The effect of item reduction on assortment satisfaction—A consideration of the category of red wine in a controlled retail setting," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 282-291.
    11. Noriaki Matsushima & Akira Miyaoka, 2015. "The effects of resale-below-cost laws in the presence of a strategic manufacturer," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 59-91, March.
    12. Takeshi Ebina & Noriaki Matsushima, 2017. "Product differentiation and entry timing in a continuous-time spatial competition model with vertical relations," ISER Discussion Paper 1009, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    13. Serguei Netessine & Terry A. Taylor, 2007. "Product Line Design and Production Technology," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(1), pages 101-117, 01-02.
    14. Esther Gal-Or & Tansev Geylani & Anthony J. Dukes, 2008. "Information Sharing in a Channel with Partially Informed Retailers," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(4), pages 642-658, 07-08.
    15. Xue, Weili & Caliskan Demirag, Ozgun & Niu, Baozhuang, 2014. "Supply chain performance and consumer surplus under alternative structures of channel dominance," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 239(1), pages 130-145.
    16. Flapper, Simme Douwe P. & González-Velarde, José Luis & Smith, Neale R. & Escobar-Saldívar, Luis Jacob, 2010. "On the optimal product assortment: Comparing product and customer based strategies," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(1), pages 167-172, May.
    17. Bolandifar, Ehsan & Chen, Zhong & Zhu, Kaijie, 2021. "Managing competitive levers in a collaborative distribution channel," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 293(3), pages 1031-1042.
    18. Szmerekovsky, Joseph G. & Zhang, Jiang, 2009. "Pricing and two-tier advertising with one manufacturer and one retailer," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 192(3), pages 904-917, February.
    19. Anthony Dukes & Tansev Geylani & Yunchuan Liu, 2014. "Dominant retailers’ incentives for product quality in asymmetric distribution channels," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 93-107, March.
    20. Aurier, Philippe & Mejía, Victor D., 2020. "The interplay of brand-line assortment size and alignability in the sales of brand-lines and line-extensions of frequently purchased products," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 163-175.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormksc:v:28:y:2009:i:2:p:309-319. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.