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Optimal Reverse-Pricing Mechanisms

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Spann

    (Munich School of Management, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany)

  • Robert Zeithammer

    (Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095)

  • Gerald Häubl

    (School of Business, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R6, Canada)

Abstract

Reverse pricing is a market mechanism under which a consumer's bid for a product leads to a sale if the bid exceeds a hidden acceptance threshold the seller has set in advance. The seller faces two key decisions in designing such a mechanism. First, he must decide where in the process to collect the revenue--that is, whether to commit to a minimum markup above cost (and thus define the bid-acceptance threshold given cost) and whether to set a fee for the consumer's right to bid. Second, the seller must decide whether to facilitate or hinder consumer learning about the current bid-acceptance threshold. We analyze these decisions for a profit-maximizing small intermediary retailer selling to consumers who can also purchase the product in an outside posted-price market. The optimal revenue model is to charge a fee for the right to bid and then accept all bids above cost, rather than to set a positive minimum markup above cost. Avoiding minimum markups in favor of a bidding fee is more profitable because of increased efficiency arising from more entry by consumers and higher bids by the entrants. When consumers learn about the bid-acceptance threshold before they enter the market, efficiency increases further, and generating revenue through a bidding fee can compensate the seller for his loss of information rent when the competition from the outside posted-price firm is relatively weak.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Spann & Robert Zeithammer & Gerald Häubl, 2010. "Optimal Reverse-Pricing Mechanisms," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(6), pages 1058-1070, 11-12.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormksc:v:29:y:2010:i:6:p:1058-1070
    DOI: 10.1287/mksc.1100.0577
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Rachel R. Chen & Esther Gal-Or & Paolo Roma, 2014. "Opaque Distribution Channels for Competing Service Providers: Posted Price vs. Name-Your-Own-Price Mechanisms," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 62(4), pages 733-750, August.
    2. Scott Fay & Robert Zeithammer, 2017. "Bidding for Bidders? How the Format for Soliciting Supplier Participation in NYOP Auctions Impacts Channel Profit," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(12), pages 4324-4344, December.
    3. Krämer, Florentin & Schmidt, Klaus M. & Spann, Martin & Stich, Lucas, 2017. "Delegating pricing power to customers: Pay What You Want or Name Your Own Price?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 125-140.
    4. Huang, Ching-I & Chen, Jong-Rong & Lee, Chiu-Yu, 2013. "Buyer behavior under the Best Offer mechanism: A theoretical model and empirical evidence from eBay Motors," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 11-33.
    5. Robert Zeithammer, 2015. "Optimal selling strategies when buyers name their own prices," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 135-171, June.
    6. Nicole Koschate-Fischer & Katharina Wüllner, 2017. "New developments in behavioral pricing research," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(6), pages 809-875, August.
    7. David Post & Martin Spann, 2012. "Improving Airline Revenues with Variable Opaque Products: “Blind Booking” at Germanwings," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 42(4), pages 329-338, August.
    8. Fay, Scott & Lee, Seung Hwan (Shawn), 2015. "The role of customer expectations in name-your-own-price markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 675-683.
    9. Martin Spann & Robert Zeithammer & Marco Bertini & Ernan Haruvy & Sandy D. Jap & Oded Koenigsberg & Vincent Mak & Peter Popkowski Leszczyc & Bernd Skiera & Manoj Thomas, 2018. "Beyond Posted Prices: the Past, Present, and Future of Participative Pricing Mechanisms," Customer Needs and Solutions, Springer;Institute for Sustainable Innovation and Growth (iSIG), vol. 5(1), pages 121-136, March.
    10. Spann, Martin & Häubl, Gerald & Skiera, Bernd & Bernhardt, Martin, 2012. "Bid-Elicitation Interfaces and Bidding Behavior in Retail Interactive Pricing," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 131-144.
    11. Chen, Yahong & Li, Jinlin & Huang, He & Ran, Lun & Hu, Yusheng, 2017. "Encouraging information sharing to boost the name-your-own-price auction," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 479(C), pages 108-117.
    12. Robert Zeithammer, 2015. "Optimal selling strategies when buyers name their own prices," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 135-171, June.

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