IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v56y2010i6p949-961.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Positioning and Pricing in a Variety Seeking Market

Author

Listed:
  • S. Sajeesh

    (Baruch College, City University of New York, New York, New York 10010)

  • Jagmohan S. Raju

    (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104)

Abstract

We study competitive positioning and pricing strategies in markets where consumers seek variety. Variety seeking behavior is modeled as a decrease in the willingness to pay for the product purchased on the previous purchase occasion. Using a three-stage Hotelling-type model, we show that the presence of variety seeking consumers reduces product differentiation offered in equilibrium, thereby explaining some otherwise counterintuitive findings in empirical research. We find that firms charge higher prices in Period 1 and lower prices in Period 2. The lower price in Period 2 represents the price incentive that firms need to offer to prevent the variety seeking consumers from switching. Furthermore, we find that the observed switching in a market may not fully capture the true magnitude of the underlying variety seeking tendencies among consumers. Finally, we show that the presence of variety seeking consumers leads to lower firm profits and a higher consumer surplus. Surplus increases for variety seeking consumers as well as regular consumers. Therefore, the presence of variety seeking consumers benefits everyone in the market.

Suggested Citation

  • S. Sajeesh & Jagmohan S. Raju, 2010. "Positioning and Pricing in a Variety Seeking Market," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(6), pages 949-961, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:56:y:2010:i:6:p:949-961
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1100.1158
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1100.1158
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.1100.1158?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moshe Givon, 1984. "Variety Seeking Through Brand Switching," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(1), pages 1-22.
    2. Byung-Do Kim & Mengze Shi & Kannan Srinivasan, 2001. "Reward Programs and Tacit Collusion," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(2), pages 99-120, June.
    3. Kapil Bawa, 1990. "Modeling Inertia and Variety Seeking Tendencies in Brand Choice Behavior," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(3), pages 263-278.
    4. Hyunho Kim & Konstantinos Serfes, 2006. "A Location Model With Preference For Variety," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 569-595, December.
    5. Z. John Zhang & Aradhna Krishna & Sanjay K. Dhar, 2000. "The Optimal Choice of Promotional Vehicles: Front-Loaded or Rear-Loaded Incentives?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(3), pages 348-362, March.
    6. Pradeep K. Chintagunta, 1998. "Inertia and Variety Seeking in a Model of Brand-Purchase Timing," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(3), pages 253-270.
    7. Minakshi Trivedi & Frank M. Bass & Ram C. Rao, 1994. "A Model of Stochastic Variety-Seeking," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(3), pages 274-297.
    8. Gabszewicz, Jean Jaskold & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1986. "On the Nature of Competition with Differentiated Products," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 96(381), pages 160-172, March.
    9. Emine Sarigollu & David C. Schmittlein, 1996. "The effect of variety seeking behaviour on optimal product positioning," Applied Stochastic Models and Data Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(1), pages 27-44, March.
    10. McAlister, Leigh, 1982. "A Dynamic Attribute Satiation Model of Variety-Seeking Behavior," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 9(2), pages 141-150, September.
    11. P. B. Seetharaman & Hai Che, 2009. "Price Competition in Markets with Consumer Variety Seeking," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(3), pages 516-525, 05-06.
    12. Tabuchi, Takatoshi & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1995. "Asymmetric equilibria in spatial competition," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 213-227.
    13. Glazer, Amihai & Gradstein, Mark & Konrad, Kai A, 1998. "The Electoral Politics of Extreme Policies," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(451), pages 1677-1685, November.
    14. repec:bla:econom:v:55:y:1988:i:220:p:479-91 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Preyas S. Desai & Devavrat Purohit, 1999. "Competition in Durable Goods Markets: The Strategic Consequences of Leasing and Selling," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(1), pages 42-58.
    16. Caplin, Andrew & Nalebuff, Barry, 1991. "Aggregation and Imperfect Competition: On the Existence of Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(1), pages 25-59, January.
    17. Neven, Damien, 1985. "Two Stage (Perfect) Equilibrium in Hotelling's Model," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(3), pages 317-325, March.
    18. McAlister, Leigh & Pessemier, Edgar, 1982. "Variety Seeking Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Review," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 9(3), pages 311-322, December.
    19. Barbara E. Kahn & Jagmohan S. Raju, 1991. "Effects of Price Promotions on Variety-Seeking and Reinforcement Behavior," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(4), pages 316-337.
    20. Paul Klemperer, 1987. "The Competitiveness of Markets with Switching Costs," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 18(1), pages 138-150, Spring.
    21. Rajeev K. Tyagi, 2000. "Sequential Product Positioning Under Differential Costs," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(7), pages 928-940, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. P. B. Seetharaman & Hai Che, 2009. "Price Competition in Markets with Consumer Variety Seeking," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(3), pages 516-525, 05-06.
    2. Irani-Kermani, Roozbeh & Jaenicke, Edward C., 2018. "Generalizing Variety Seeking Measurement from Brand Space to Product Attribute Space," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273818, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Nanarpuzha, Rajesh, 2013. "Modeling Situational Factors in Variety Seeking Behaviour: An Extension of the Lightning Bolt Model," IIMA Working Papers WP2013-12-04, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    4. Liyang Xiong & Honglei Yu & Zhanqing Wang, 2021. "Competition in a Variety Seeking Market With Brand Name Awareness," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    5. Robert Zeithammer & Raphael Thomadsen, 2013. "Vertical Differentiation with Variety-Seeking Consumers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(2), pages 390-401, August.
    6. Zhao, Li & Tian, Peng & Xiangyong Li, 2012. "Dynamic pricing in the presence of consumer inertia," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 137-148, April.
    7. Liang, Zhouyang & Angelopoulos, Spyros & Zuo, Meihua & Ou, Carol X.J., 2024. "Wake up and search for coffee: Considering the circadian rhythm of consumers on online marketplaces," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    8. Toshihiro Matsumura & Noriaki Matsushima, 2010. "Patent licensing, bargaining, and product positioning," ISER Discussion Paper 0775, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    9. Felipe Caro & Victor Martínez-de-Albéniz, 2012. "Product and Price Competition with Satiation Effects," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(7), pages 1357-1373, July.
    10. Ebina, Takeshi & Matsushima, Noriaki & Nishide, Katsumasa, 2022. "Demand uncertainty, product differentiation, and entry timing under spatial competition," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 303(1), pages 286-297.
    11. Meza, Sergio & Tombak, Mihkel, 2009. "Endogenous location leadership," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 687-707, November.
    12. Nobuhiko Terui & Shohei Hasegawa & Greg M. Allenby, 2015. "A Threshold Model for Discontinuous Preference Change and Satiation," TMARG Discussion Papers 122, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University.
    13. Fangqing Song & Stephane Hess & Thijs Dekker, 2024. "Uncovering the link between intra-individual heterogeneity and variety seeking: the case of new shared mobility," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 371-406, April.
    14. Foubert, Bram & Gijsbrechts, Els, 2010. "Please or Squeeze? Brand performance implications of constrained and unconstrained multi-item promotions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(3), pages 880-892, May.
    15. Sergi Jiménez-Martín & Antonio Ladrón de Guevara-Martínez, 2009. "A state-dependent model of hybrid behavior with rational consumers in the attribute space," Investigaciones Economicas, Fundación SEPI, vol. 33(3), pages 347-383, September.
    16. Szymanowski, Maciej & Gijsbrechts, Els, 2013. "Patterns in consumption-based learning about brand quality for consumer packaged goods," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 219-235.
    17. Antonio Ladrón de Guevara, 2001. "A dynamic choice model of hybrid behavior in the attribute-space," Economics Working Papers 589, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    18. Z. John Zhang & Aradhna Krishna & Sanjay K. Dhar, 2000. "The Optimal Choice of Promotional Vehicles: Front-Loaded or Rear-Loaded Incentives?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(3), pages 348-362, March.
    19. Bathaee, Atieh, 2011. "Culture affects consumer behavior: Theoretical reflections and an illustrative example with Germany and Iran," Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Diskussionspapiere 02/2011, University of Greifswald, Faculty of Law and Economics.
    20. Desai, Kalpesh Kaushik & Trivedi, Minakshi, 2014. "Do consumer perceptions matter in measuring choice variety and variety seeking?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 2786-2792.

    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:inm:ormnsc:v:56:y:2010:i:6:p:949-961. 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: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    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.