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Salience in Retailing: Vertical Restraints on Internet Sales

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  • Helfrich, Magdalena
  • Herweg, Fabian

Abstract

We provide an explanation for a brand manufacturer's rationale to prohibit retailers to distribute its products over the internet, based on the assumption that a consumer's purchasing decision is distorted by salient thinking. We find that banning online distribution of the branded good aligns retailers’ incentives with the manufacturer's interest to make quality the salient product attribute and allows it to charge a higher wholesale price than under free distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Helfrich, Magdalena & Herweg, Fabian, 2017. "Salience in Retailing: Vertical Restraints on Internet Sales," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168276, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc17:168276
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jeanine Miklós‐Thal & Greg Shaffer, 2021. "Input price discrimination by resale market," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 52(4), pages 727-757, December.
    2. Markus Dertwinkel-Kalt & Mats Köster, 2017. "Salience and Online Sales: The Role of Brand Image Concerns," CESifo Working Paper Series 6787, CESifo.
    3. Heidhues, Paul & Köszegi, Botond, 2018. "Behavioral Industrial Organization," CEPR Discussion Papers 12988, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. 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).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law
    • L42 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Vertical Restraints; Resale Price Maintenance; Quantity Discounts

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