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How Retailers Determine Which Products Should Go on Sale: Evidence From Store-Level Data

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  • Daniel Hosken
  • David Reiffen

Abstract

Recent theoretical research on retail pricing dynamics provides an explanation of why retailers periodically put items on sale, even when their costs are unchanged. The authors extend this research to show that more popular items (i.e., those that appeal to a wide range of consumers) are more likely to go on sale. One implication of the proposed model is that a good is more likely to be on sale when demand for the good is at its season peak (e.g., eggs at Easter). This implication is tested using store-level retail price data, and the prediction is borne out for the categories of goods that are examined. Additional tests also support the premise that popularity and frequency of sales are positively related. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2004

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Hosken & David Reiffen, 2004. "How Retailers Determine Which Products Should Go on Sale: Evidence From Store-Level Data," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 141-177, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jcopol:v:27:y:2004:i:2:p:141-177
    DOI: 10.1023/B:COPO.0000028171.70221.f3
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    Cited by:

    1. Empen, Janine & Loy, Jens-Peter & Weiss, Christoph R., 2011. "Price Promotions and Brand Loyalty: Empirical Evidence for the German Breakfast Cereals Market," 2011 International Congress, August 30-September 2, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland 114341, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Thomas Bittmann & Jens-Peter Loy, 2021. "Price transmission and cost pass-through on the German dairy value chain," Journal of New Economy, Ural State University of Economics, vol. 22(3), pages 84-102, October.
    3. Loy, Jens-Peter & Ren, Yanjun, 2022. "Web scraping of food retail prices: An analysis of internet food retail sales prices," EconStor Conference Papers 251552, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    4. Dong, Xiao, 2023. "Does seasonal product rotation contribute to countercyclical pricing and cheaper turkeys during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    5. P. J. Glandon & Matthew Jaremski, 2014. "Sales and Firm Entry: The Case of Wal‐Mart," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 81(1), pages 168-192, July.
    6. von Schlippenbach, V., 2006. "Untereinstandspreisverkäufe im Lebensmitteleinzelhandel," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 41, March.
    7. Kevin J, Fox. & Iqbal A. Syed, 2016. "Price Discounts and the Measurement of Inflation: Further Results," Discussion Papers 2016-05, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    8. Janine Empen & Stephen F. Hamilton, 2015. "How Do Retailers Price Beer During Periods of Peak Demand? Evidence from Game Weeks of the German Bundesliga," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 81(3), pages 679-696, January.
    9. Alexander L. Wolman, 2007. "The frequency and costs of individual price adjustment," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 531-552.
    10. Li, Lan & Carman, Hoy F. & Sexton, Richard J., 2008. "Countercyclical Price Movements during Periods of Peak Demand: Evidence from Grocery Retail Price for Avocados," 2008 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2008, Orlando, Florida 6251, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    11. Lahmandi-Ayed, Rim, 2010. "Spatial differentiation, divisible consumption and the pro-competitive effect of income," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 71-85, January.
    12. Hamister, James W. & Suresh, Nallan C., 2008. "The impact of pricing policy on sales variability in a supermarket retail context," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(2), pages 441-455, February.
    13. Hoffman, Angela & Senkler, Heike, 2011. "Interformat price competition of multi-product retailers: Evidence for German grocery retailing," 2011 International Congress, August 30-September 2, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland 114533, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Hosken, Daniel S. & McMillan, Robert S. & Taylor, Christopher T., 2008. "Retail gasoline pricing: What do we know?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 1425-1436, November.
    15. Fox, Kevin J. & Syed, Iqbal A., 2016. "Price discounts and the measurement of inflation," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 191(2), pages 398-406.
    16. Holzer, Patrick Sebastian, 2020. "The effect of time-varying factors on promotional activity in the German milk market," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    17. Sigué, Simon Pierre, 2008. "Consumer and Retailer Promotions: Who is Better Off?," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 84(4), pages 449-460.
    18. Glandon, PJ, 2018. "Sales and the (Mis)measurement of price level fluctuations," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 60-77.
    19. Daniel S. Hosken & Luke M. Olson & Loren K. Smith, 2018. "Do retail mergers affect competition? Evidence from grocery retailing," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 3-22, March.
    20. MartI´n-Herrán, Guiomar & Sigué, Simon P., 2011. "Prices, promotions, and channel profitability: Was the conventional wisdom mistaken?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 211(2), pages 415-425, June.
    21. Fertő, Imre & Bakucs, Lajos Zoltán, 2009. "Árleszállítások és a kiskereskedelmi árak változása a tejtermékek piacán [Sales and retail price patterns on the market for milk products]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(7), pages 634-647.

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