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Competition in Price and Availability When Availability is Unobservable

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Author Info
Dana, James D, Jr

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Abstract

I present a strategic model of competition in price and availability in which demand is uncertain and consumers choose where to shop given firms' observable prices and their expectations of firms' unobservable inventories. In both a single-period Cournot model (inventories are chosen first) and a single-period Bertrand model (prices are chosen first), I show that firms use higher prices to "signal" higher availability. This creates a floor on equilibrium prices and industry profits regardless of the number of firms. The model is useful in understanding the relationship between price and availability in the video rental industry. Copyright 2001 by the RAND Corporation.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by The RAND Corporation in its journal RAND Journal of Economics.

Volume (Year): 32 (2001)
Issue (Month): 3 (Autumn)
Pages: 497-513
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Handle: RePEc:rje:randje:v:32:y:2001:i:3:p:497-513

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Raymond Deneckere & James Peck, 1995. "Competition Over Price and Service Rate When Demand is Stochastic: A Strategic Analysis," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 26(1), pages 148-162, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Gould, John P, 1978. "Inventories and Stochastic Demand: Equilibrium Models of the Firm and Industry," Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(1), pages 1-42, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Eden, Benjamin, 1990. "Marginal Cost Pricing When Spot Markets Are Complete," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(6), pages 1293-1306, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Wolinsky, Asher, 1983. "Prices as Signals of Product Quality," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(4), pages 647-58, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Andrew F. Daughety & Jennifer F. Reinganum, 1991. "Endogenous Availability in Search Equilibrium," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 22(2), pages 287-306, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Noah Gans, 1999. "Customer Learning and Loyalty When Quality is Uncertain," Center for Financial Institutions Working Papers 99-11, Wharton School Center for Financial Institutions, University of Pennsylvania. [Downloadable!]
  7. Rogerson, William P, 1987. "The Dissipation of Profits by Brand Name Investment and Entry when Price Guarantees Quality," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(4), pages 797-809, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Noah Gans, 1999. "Customer Loyalty and Supplier Strategies for Quality Competition," Center for Financial Institutions Working Papers 99-12, Wharton School Center for Financial Institutions, University of Pennsylvania. [Downloadable!]
  9. Horstmann, Ignatius J & MacDonald, Glenn M, 1994. "When Is Advertising a Signal of Product Quality?," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 3(3), pages 561-84, Fall.
  10. Peters, Michael, 1984. "Bertrand Equilibrium with Capacity Constraints and Restricted Mobility," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(5), pages 1117-27, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. van Damme, Eric & Hurkens, Sjaak, 1997. "Games with Imperfectly Observable Commitment," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 21(1-2), pages 282-308, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Klein, Benjamin & Leffler, Keith B, 1981. "The Role of Market Forces in Assuring Contractual Performance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 89(4), pages 615-41, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Smallwood, Dennis E & Conlisk, John, 1979. "Product Quality in Markets Where Consumers are Imperfectly Informed," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 93(1), pages 1-23, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Carlton, Dennis W, 1979. "Contracts, Price Rigidity, and Market Equilibrium," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(5), pages 1034-62, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Carl Shapiro, 1982. "Consumer Information, Product Quality, and Seller Reputation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 13(1), pages 20-35, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Allen, Franklin & Faulhaber, Gerald R, 1988. "Optimism Invites Deception," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 103(2), pages 397-407, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. William P. Rogerson, 1983. "Reputation and Product Quality," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 14(2), pages 508-516, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Deneckere, Raymond & Marvel, Howard P & Peck, James, 1996. "Demand Uncertainty, Inventories, and Resale Price Maintenance," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 111(3), pages 885-913, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  19. Prescott, Edward C, 1975. "Efficiency of the Natural Rate," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 83(6), pages 1229-36, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Andrew F. Daughety & Jennifer F. Reinganum, 1992. "Search Equilibrium with Endogenous Recall," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 23(2), pages 184-202, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Paul R. Milgrom & John Roberts, 1984. "Price and Advertising Signals of Product Quality," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 709, Cowles Foundation, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  22. James D. Dana Jr., 1999. "Equilibrium Price Dispersion Under Demand Uncertainty: The Roles of Costly Capacity and Market Structure," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 30(4), pages 632-660, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Zhenlin Yang & Lydia Gan & Fang-Fang Tang, 2007. "A Study of Pricing Evolution in the Online Toy Market," Economic Growth centre Working Paper Series 0704, Nanyang Technolgical University, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Economic Growth centre. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. repec:bep:thecon:v:2:y:2002:i:1:p:1053-1053 is not listed on IDEAS
  3. Florian Zettelmeyer & Fiona Scott Morton & Jorge Silva-Risso, 2006. "Scarcity Rents in Car Retailing: Evidence from Inventory Fluctuations at Dealerships," NBER Working Papers 12177, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Arie Beresteanu, 2004. "Demand Shifts and Second Degree Price discimination - the Impact of DVDs on the Motion Pictures Industry," Econometric Society 2004 North American Winter Meetings 609, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  5. James Jozefowicz & Jason Kelley & Stephanie Brewer, 2008. "New Release: An Empirical Analysis of VHS/DVD Rental Success," Atlantic Economic Journal, International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 36(2), pages 139-151, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Christopher T. Conlon & Julie Holland Mortimer, 2008. "Demand Estimation Under Incomplete Product Availability," NBER Working Papers 14315, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Michael A. Arnold & Christine Saliba, 2003. "Price Dispersion in Online Markets: The Case of College Textbooks," Working Papers 03-02, University of Delaware, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Andrew F. Daughety & Jennifer F. Reinganum, 2007. "Mass Torts and the Incentives for Suit, Settlement, and Trial," Working Papers 0713, Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University. [Downloadable!]
  9. Ioannis Ioannou & Julie Holland Mortimer & Richard Mortimer, 2008. "The Effects of Capacity on Sales Under Alternative Vertical Contracts," NBER Working Papers 14611, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Curt Taylor, 2004. "Privacy and Information Acquisition in Competitive Markets," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series 1165, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics. [Downloadable!]
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