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Product line pricing in a vertically differentiated oligopoly

Author

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  • George Deltas
  • Thanasis Stengos
  • Eleftherios Zacharias

Abstract

This paper examines the joint pricing decision of products in a firm's product line. When products are distinguished by a vertical characteristic, those with higher values of that characteristic will command higher prices. We investigate whether, holding the value of the characteristic constant, there is an additional price premium for products on the industry and/or the firm frontier, that is, for the products with the highest value of the characteristic in the market or in a firm's product line. We also investigate the existence of price premia for lower-ranked products and other product line pricing questions. Using personal computer price data, we show that prices decline with the distance from the industry and firm frontiers, even after holding absolute quality constant. We find evidence that consumer tastes for brands is stronger for the consumers of frontier products (and thus competition between firms weaker in the top end of the market). There is also evidence that a product's price is higher if a firm offers products with the immediately faster and immediately slower computer chip (holding the total number of a firm's offerings constant), possibly as an attempt to reduce cannibalization. Finally, a product's price declines with the time it is offered by a firm, suggesting intertemporal price discrimination.

Suggested Citation

  • George Deltas & Thanasis Stengos & Eleftherios Zacharias, 2011. "Product line pricing in a vertically differentiated oligopoly," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 44(3), pages 907-929, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cje:issued:v:44:y:2011:i:3:p:907-929
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5982.2011.01660.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Silvio Sticher, 2013. "Competitive Market Segmentation," Diskussionsschriften dp1313, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft.
    2. Evdokia Dritsa & Eleftherios Zacharias, 2012. "Price Competition in a Duopoly Characterized by Positional Effects," Working Papers 12-21, NET Institute.
    3. Ciarli, Tommaso & Valente, Marco, 2016. "The complex interactions between economic growth and market concentration in a model of structural change," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 38-54.
    4. Tommaso Ciarli & Andre' Lorentz & Maria Savona & Marco Valente, 2012. "The role of technology, organisation, and demand in growth and income distribution," LEM Papers Series 2012/06, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    5. George Deltas & Eleftherios Zacharias, 2018. "Product Proliferation and Pricing in a Market with Positional Effects," Working Papers 242312853, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    6. George Deltas & Eleftherios Zacharias, 2025. "Product lines and new product introduction: competition versus cannibalization in the personal computer industry," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 69(6), pages 3437-3461, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L63 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Microelectronics; Computers; Communications Equipment

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