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Pricing Experience Goods: The Effects of Customer Recognition and Commitment

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  • Bing Jing

Abstract

In a two‐period model of nondurable experience goods, we compare the profit and social welfare effects of behavior‐based price discrimination (BBPD) and price commitment (PC) (relative to time‐consistent pricing) in a monopoly. We find that when the static, full‐information monopoly price is higher (lower) than the mean consumer valuation, PC yields higher (lower) profits and social welfare than BBPD. We also identify the market conditions under which BBPD does not increase firm profits and provide an explanation as to when the firm should discriminate against its first‐time and repeat customers, respectively.

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  • Bing Jing, 2011. "Pricing Experience Goods: The Effects of Customer Recognition and Commitment," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 451-473, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:20:y:2011:i:2:p:451-473
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-9134.2011.00294.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Qiao & Zaccour, Georges & Zhang, Jianxiong & Tang, Wansheng, 2020. "Strategic pricing under quality signaling and imitation behaviors in supply chains," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    2. Flavio Pino, 2022. "The microeconomics of data – a survey," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 49(3), pages 635-665, September.
    3. De Nijs, Romain & Rhodes, Andrew, 2013. "Behavior-based pricing with experience goods," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 155-158.
    4. Hikmet Gunay, 2014. "Waiting for Signaling Quality," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 81(2), pages 364-386, October.
    5. Yang, Rui & Tang, Wansheng & Dou, Mengdi & Zhang, Jianxiong, 2021. "Pricing and investing in co-creation with customers for a duopoly," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    6. Bing Jing, 2016. "Customer Recognition in Experience vs. Inspection Good Markets," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(1), pages 216-224, January.
    7. Lynne Pepall & Daniel Richards, 2021. "Targeted Value-Enhancing Advertising and Price Competition," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 59(3), pages 443-459, November.
    8. Shrivastav, Sumit, 2023. "Information, mis-information, and history-based price discrimination in a duopoly," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    9. Jia, Kunhao & Liao, Xiuwu & Feng, Juan, 2018. "Selling or leasing? Dynamic pricing of software with upgrades," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 266(3), pages 1044-1061.
    10. Sumit Shrivastav, 2021. "Price discrimination with imperfect consumer recognition," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2021-017, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    11. Chaab, Jafar & Zaccour, Georges, 2024. "Dynamic pricing in the presence of social externalities and reference-price effect," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    12. Alessandro Acquisti & Curtis Taylor & Liad Wagman, 2016. "The Economics of Privacy," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 54(2), pages 442-492, June.
    13. Tuo Wang & Michael Y. Hu, 2019. "Differential pricing with consumers’ valuation uncertainty by a monopoly," Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(3), pages 247-255, June.
    14. Monire Jalili & Michael S. Pangburn, 2020. "Pricing Joint Sales and Rentals: When are Purchase Conversion Discounts Optimal?," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(12), pages 2679-2695, December.
    15. Arieh Gavious & Ella Segev, 2017. "Price Discrimination Based on Buyers’ Purchase History," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 229-265, June.
    16. Thomas, Catherine & Chen, Zhuoqiong (Charlie) & Stanton, Christopher T., 2020. "Information Spillovers in Experience Goods Competition," CEPR Discussion Papers 15255, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    17. Li, Jianpei & Zhang, Wanzhu, 2022. "Behavior-based pricing and signaling of product quality," MPRA Paper 120263, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 03 Jan 2023.
    18. Bing Jing, 2017. "Behavior-Based Pricing, Production Efficiency, and Quality Differentiation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(7), pages 2365-2376, July.
    19. Shen, Na & Su, Jun, 2015. "A comparison of different contract forms for consumers with switching costs and changed preferences," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 19-26.

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