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Loss Leading with Salient Thinkers

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  • Inderst, Roman
  • Obradovits, Martin

Abstract

In various countries, competition laws restrict retailers’ freedom to sell their products below cost. A common rationale, shared by policymakers, consumer interest groups and brand manufacturers alike, is that such “loss leading†of products would ultimately lead to a race-to-the-bottom in product quality. Building on Varian’s(1980) model of sales, we provide a foundation for this critique, though only when consumers are salient thinkers, putting too much weight on certain product attributes. But we also show how a prohibition of loss leading can backfire, as it may make it even less attractive for retailers to stock high-quality products, decreasing both aggregate welfare and consumer surplus.

Suggested Citation

  • Inderst, Roman & Obradovits, Martin, 2022. "Loss Leading with Salient Thinkers," CEPR Discussion Papers 16946, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16946
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    Cited by:

    1. David Ronayne, 2021. "Price Comparison Websites," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 62(3), pages 1081-1110, August.
    2. Inderst, Roman & Obradovits, Martin, 2021. "Loss Leading as a Threat to Brands," EconStor Preprints 253667, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    3. Carroni, Elias & Mantovani, Andrea & Minniti, Antonio, 2023. "Price signaling with salient-thinking consumers," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 238-253.
    4. David P. Myatt, 2019. "A Theory of Stable Price Dispersion," Economics Series Working Papers 873, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    5. Roman Inderst & Martin Obradovits, 2023. "Excessive Competition On Headline Prices," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 64(2), pages 783-808, May.
    6. David Ronayne, 2020. "The Only Dance in Town: Unique Equilibrium in a Generalized Model of Price Competition," Economics Series Working Papers 874, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    7. Inderst, Roman & Obradovits, Martin, 2020. "Why Brand Manufacturers Should Take Loss Leading Seriously," EconStor Preprints 253663, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    8. Johannes Johnen & David Ronayne, 2021. "The only Dance in Town: Unique Equilibrium in a Generalized Model of Price Competition," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(3), pages 595-614, September.
    9. R. Emre Aytimur, 2023. "Salience and horizontal differentiation," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(1), pages 60-86, February.
    10. Helfrich, Magdalena & Herweg, Fabian, 2020. "Context-dependent preferences and retailing: Vertical restraints on internet sales," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    11. Baomin Dong & Guixia Guo & Frank Yong Wang, 2021. "A signalling model of loss leader pricing strategy," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(2), pages 289-307, June.
    12. Friehe, Tim & Pham, Cat Lam, 2020. "Products liability when consumers are salient thinkers," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    13. Markus Dertwinkel‐Kalt & Mats Köster, 2022. "Attention to online sales: The role of brand image concerns," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 64-89, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Loss leading; Price competition; Competition law; Imposition of price floors; Price promotion; Salient-thinking consumers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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