IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ejores/v230y2013i2p272-283.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Online retailers’ promotional pricing, free-shipping threshold, and inventory decisions: A simulation-based analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Becerril-Arreola, Rafael
  • Leng, Mingming
  • Parlar, Mahmut

Abstract

We consider a two-stage decision problem, in which an online retailer first makes optimal decisions on his profit margin and free-shipping threshold, and then determines his inventory level. We start by developing the retailer’s expected profit function. Then, we use publicly-available statistics to find the best-fitting distribution for consumers’ purchase amounts and the best-fitting function for conversion rate (i.e., probability that an arriving visitor places an online order with the retailer). We show that: (i) a reduction of the profit margin does not significantly affect the standard deviation of consumers’ order sizes (purchase amounts) but increases the average order size; whereas, (ii) variations in a positive finite free-shipping threshold affect both the average value and the standard deviation of the order sizes. We then use Arena to simulate the online retailing system and OptQuest to find the retailer’s optimal decisions and maximum profit. Next, we perform a sensitivity analysis to examine the impact of the ratio of the unit holding and salvage cost to the unit shipping cost on the retailer’s optimal decisions. We also draw some important managerial insights.

Suggested Citation

  • Becerril-Arreola, Rafael & Leng, Mingming & Parlar, Mahmut, 2013. "Online retailers’ promotional pricing, free-shipping threshold, and inventory decisions: A simulation-based analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 230(2), pages 272-283.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:230:y:2013:i:2:p:272-283
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2013.04.006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221713003044
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ejor.2013.04.006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jang, Wooseung & Kim, Dongwon, 2007. "Integrated production and allocation policies with one direct shipping option," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 181(2), pages 716-732, September.
    2. Emin Dinlersoz & Han Li, 2006. "The shipping strategies of internet retailers: Evidence from internet book retailing," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 4(4), pages 407-438, December.
    3. Zhou, Bin & Zhao, Yao & Katehakis, Michael N., 2007. "Effective control policies for stochastic inventory systems with a minimum order quantity and linear costs," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(2), pages 523-531, April.
    4. Hua, Guowei & Wang, Shouyang & Cheng, T.C.E., 2012. "Optimal order lot sizing and pricing with free shipping," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 218(2), pages 435-441.
    5. Askin, Ronald G. & Chen, Jiaqiong, 2006. "Dynamic task assignment for throughput maximization with worksharing," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 168(3), pages 853-869, February.
    6. Hua, Guowei & Wang, Shouyang & Cheng, T.C.E., 2010. "Price and lead time decisions in dual-channel supply chains," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 205(1), pages 113-126, August.
    7. Agatz, Niels A.H. & Fleischmann, Moritz & van Nunen, Jo A.E.E., 2008. "E-fulfillment and multi-channel distribution - A review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 187(2), pages 339-356, June.
    8. Hua, Guowei & Wang, Shouyang & Cheng, T.C.E., 2012. "Optimal pricing and order quantity for the newsvendor problem with free shipping," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(1), pages 162-169.
    9. Eric T. Anderson & Gavan J. Fitzsimons & Duncan Simester, 2006. "Measuring and Mitigating the Costs of Stockouts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(11), pages 1751-1763, November.
    10. Jang, Wooseung & Kim, Daeki & Park, Kwangtae, 2013. "Inventory allocation and shipping when demand temporarily exceeds production capacity," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 227(3), pages 464-470.
    11. Markus Ettl & Gerald E. Feigin & Grace Y. Lin & David D. Yao, 2000. "A Supply Network Model with Base-Stock Control and Service Requirements," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 48(2), pages 216-232, April.
    12. Michael Lewis & Vishal Singh & Scott Fay, 2006. "An Empirical Study of the Impact of Nonlinear Shipping and Handling Fees on Purchase Incidence and Expenditure Decisions," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 51-64, 01-02.
    13. Lingxiu Dong & Panos Kouvelis & Zhongjun Tian, 2009. "Dynamic Pricing and Inventory Control of Substitute Products," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 11(2), pages 317-339, December.
    14. van der Heijden, Matthieu C., 1999. "Multi-echelon inventory control in divergent systems with shipping frequencies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(2), pages 331-351, July.
    15. Gérard P. Cachon & A. Gürhan Kök, 2007. "Category Management and Coordination in Retail Assortment Planning in the Presence of Basket Shopping Consumers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(6), pages 934-951, June.
    16. Ayanso, Anteneh & Diaby, Moustapha & Nair, Suresh K., 2006. "Inventory rationing via drop-shipping in Internet retailing: A sensitivity analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(1), pages 135-152, May.
    17. Zhou, Bin & Katehakis, Michael N. & Zhao, Yao, 2009. "Managing stochastic inventory systems with free shipping option," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 196(1), pages 186-197, July.
    18. BREUGELMANS, Els & CAMPO, Katia & GIJSBRECHTS, Els, 2005. "Opportunities for active stock-out management in online stores: The impact of the stock-out policy on online stock-out reactions," Working Papers 2005005, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yanzhe (Murray) Lei & Stefanus Jasin & Amitabh Sinha, 2018. "Joint Dynamic Pricing and Order Fulfillment for E-commerce Retailers," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 20(2), pages 269-284, May.
    2. Zhu, Shan & Hu, Xiangpei & Huang, Kai & Yuan, Yufei, 2021. "Optimization of product category allocation in multiple warehouses to minimize splitting of online supermarket customer orders," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 290(2), pages 556-571.
    3. Qing-chun Meng & Xiao-le Wan & Xiao-xia Rong, 2015. "A Robust Ordering Strategy for Retailers Facing a Free Shipping Option," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, May.
    4. Li, Yiming & Li, Gang & Tayi, Giri Kumar & Cheng, T.C.E., 2021. "Return shipping insurance: Free versus for-a-fee?," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    5. Cheng-An Tsai & Che-Wei Chang, 2022. "Development of a Partial Shipping Fees Pricing Model to Influence Consumers’ Purchase Intention under the COVID-19 Pandemic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-16, March.
    6. T. M. Rofin & Biswajit Mahanty, 2021. "Fulfillment mode selection for Indian online sellers under free and flat rate shipping policies," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 263-296, June.
    7. Vijay Paidi & Roger G. Nyberg & Johan Håkansson, 2020. "Dynamic Scheduling and Communication System to Manage Last Mile Handovers," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 4(2), pages 1-11, June.
    8. Shao, Xiao-Feng, 2017. "Free or calculated shipping: Impact of delivery cost on supply chains moving to online retailing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 267-277.
    9. Xiaxia Ma & Wenliang Bian & Xiqing Yang & Shengnan Niu & Yongming Cai & Jie Guan & Wenbin Wang, 2022. "Online Retailer’s Contingent Free-Shipping Decisions under Large-Scale Promotions Considering Delayed Delivery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-22, August.
    10. Eliza Nichifor & Radu Constantin Lixăndroiu & Silvia Sumedrea & Ioana Bianca Chițu & Gabriel Brătucu, 2021. "How Can SMEs Become More Sustainable? Modelling the M-Commerce Consumer Behaviour with Contingent Free Shipping and Customer Journey’s Touchpoints Optimisation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-27, June.
    11. Huang, Wen-Hsien & Shen, George C. & Liang, Che-Ling, 2019. "The effect of threshold free shipping policies on online shoppers' willingness to pay for shipping," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 105-112.
    12. Kim, T.Y. & Dekker, R. & Heij, C., 2016. "The value of express delivery services for cross-border e-commerce in European Union markets," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI2016-12, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    13. Urvashi Tandon & Amit Mittal & Sridhar Manohar, 2021. "Examining the impact of intangible product features and e-commerce institutional mechanics on consumer trust and repurchase intention," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 31(4), pages 945-964, December.
    14. Zhou, Quan Spring & Olsen, Tava Lennon, 2018. "Rotating the medical supplies for emergency response: A simulation based approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 1-11.
    15. Dimitris Zissis & George Ioannou & Apostolos Burnetas, 2020. "Coordinating Lot Sizing Decisions Under Bilateral Information Asymmetry," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(2), pages 371-387, February.
    16. Zissis, Dimitris & Ioannou, George & Burnetas, Apostolos, 2015. "Supply chain coordination under discrete information asymmetries and quantity discounts," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 21-29.
    17. Abhishek Tandon & Aakash Aakash & Anu G. Aggarwal, 2020. "Impact of EWOM, website quality, and product satisfaction on customer satisfaction and repurchase intention: moderating role of shipping and handling," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 11(2), pages 349-356, July.
    18. Hu Wang & Di Li & Changbin Jiang & Yuxiang Zhang, 2023. "Exploring the Interactive Relationship between Retailers’ Free Shipping Decisions and Manufacturers’ Product Sales in Digital Retailing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-19, August.
    19. Konur, Dinçer, 2021. "Keep your enemy close? Competitive online brands’ expansion with individual and shared showrooms," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    20. Ata Allah Taleizadeh & Mahsa Noori-daryan & Kannan Govindan, 2016. "Pricing and ordering decisions of two competing supply chains with different composite policies: a Stackelberg game-theoretic approach," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(9), pages 2807-2836, May.
    21. Huang, Wen-Hsien & Cheng, Yi-Ching, 2015. "Threshold free shipping policies for internet shoppers," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 193-203.
    22. Wang, Xuerong & Leng, Mingming & Song, Jingpu & Luo, Chunlin & Hui, Sunyuen, 2019. "Managing a supply chain under the impact of customer reviews: A two-period game analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 277(2), pages 454-468.
    23. Zhen Fang & Yi-Chun (Chad) Ho & Xue (Jane) Tan & Yong Tan, 2021. "Show Me the Money: The Economic Impact of Membership-Based Free Shipping Programs on E-Tailers," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 32(4), pages 1115-1127, December.
    24. Di Fatta, Davide & Patton, Dean & Viglia, Giampaolo, 2018. "The determinants of conversion rates in SME e-commerce websites," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 161-168.
    25. Martin Adam & Michael Wessel & Alexander Benlian, 2019. "Of early birds and phantoms: how sold-out discounts impact entrepreneurial success in reward-based crowdfunding," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 545-560, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mou, Shandong & Robb, David J. & DeHoratius, Nicole, 2018. "Retail store operations: Literature review and research directions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 265(2), pages 399-422.
    2. T. M. Rofin & Biswajit Mahanty, 2021. "Fulfillment mode selection for Indian online sellers under free and flat rate shipping policies," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 263-296, June.
    3. Qing-chun Meng & Xiao-le Wan & Xiao-xia Rong, 2015. "A Robust Ordering Strategy for Retailers Facing a Free Shipping Option," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, May.
    4. Xiaxia Ma & Wenliang Bian & Xiqing Yang & Shengnan Niu & Yongming Cai & Jie Guan & Wenbin Wang, 2022. "Online Retailer’s Contingent Free-Shipping Decisions under Large-Scale Promotions Considering Delayed Delivery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-22, August.
    5. Yuki Oyama & Daisuke Fukuda & Naoto Imura & Katsuhiro Nishinari, 2022. "E-commerce users' preferences for delivery options," Papers 2301.00666, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2023.
    6. Hua, Guowei & Wang, Shouyang & Cheng, T.C.E., 2012. "Optimal order lot sizing and pricing with free shipping," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 218(2), pages 435-441.
    7. Hayya, Jack C. & Harrison, Terry P. & He, X. James, 2011. "The impact of stochastic lead time reduction on inventory cost under order crossover," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 211(2), pages 274-281, June.
    8. Nekoiemehr, Nooshin & Zhang, Guoqing & Selvarajah, Esaignani, 2019. "Due date quotation in a dual-channel supply chain," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 102-111.
    9. Shao, Xiao-Feng, 2017. "Free or calculated shipping: Impact of delivery cost on supply chains moving to online retailing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 267-277.
    10. Changkyu Park, 2017. "A Partial Backordering Inventory Model with a Drop-Shipping Option Under Purchase Dependence," Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research (APJOR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 34(04), pages 1-20, August.
    11. Koch, Sebastian & Klein, Robert, 2020. "Route-based approximate dynamic programming for dynamic pricing in attended home delivery," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 287(2), pages 633-652.
    12. Yanzhe (Murray) Lei & Stefanus Jasin & Amitabh Sinha, 2018. "Joint Dynamic Pricing and Order Fulfillment for E-commerce Retailers," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 20(2), pages 269-284, May.
    13. Fleckenstein, David & Klein, Robert & Steinhardt, Claudius, 2023. "Recent advances in integrating demand management and vehicle routing: A methodological review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 306(2), pages 499-518.
    14. Xuanming Su & Fuqiang Zhang, 2009. "On the Value of Commitment and Availability Guarantees When Selling to Strategic Consumers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(5), pages 713-726, May.
    15. Zhen Fang & Yi-Chun (Chad) Ho & Xue (Jane) Tan & Yong Tan, 2021. "Show Me the Money: The Economic Impact of Membership-Based Free Shipping Programs on E-Tailers," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 32(4), pages 1115-1127, December.
    16. Mohammad Heydari & Kin Keung Lai & Xiaohu Zhou, 2020. "Creating Sustainable Order Fulfillment Processes through Managing the Risk: Evidence from the Disposable Products Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-32, April.
    17. Lu, Qihui & Shi, Victor & Huang, Jiazhou, 2018. "Who benefit from agency model: A strategic analysis of pricing models in distribution channels of physical books and e-books," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 264(3), pages 1074-1091.
    18. Hammami, Ramzi & Asgari, Erfan & Frein, Yannick & Nouira, Imen, 2022. "Time- and price-based product differentiation in hybrid distribution with stockout-based substitution," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 300(3), pages 884-901.
    19. Tang, Christopher S., 2010. "A review of marketing-operations interface models: From co-existence to coordination and collaboration," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(1), pages 22-40, May.
    20. Ratchford, Brian & Soysal, Gonca & Zentner, Alejandro & Gauri, Dinesh K., 2022. "Online and offline retailing: What we know and directions for future research," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 152-177.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:230:y:2013:i:2:p:272-283. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.