×

Pricing and product-bundling strategies for e-commerce platforms with competition. (English) Zbl 1441.91029

Summary: We consider pricing and product-bundling strategies for two competing platforms with two groups of agents, customers and sellers (independent content developers). In this paper, two such groups are required to pay the platforms fixed (subscription) fees to gain access; each platform also produces its own integrated content. We investigate the impacts of installed base, mixed bundling, and competition on the platforms’ pricing and product-bundling strategies. We find that in the presence of both installed base and competition, each platform will charge sellers the same fee, regardless of whether the unbundling or mixed-bundling strategy is chosen. However, if the mixed-bundling strategy is used, the prices charged to customers may be higher relative to the unbundling equilibrium. Importantly, our results reveal that the mixed product-bundling strategy can be used as a strategic competitive tool for the competing platforms to seize more market share and induce the platforms to subsidize customers who buy the bundle by charging customers who only access the platforms (without bundling) a higher price. Moreover, we find that the proposed mixed product-bundling strategy is a dominant equilibrium solution for two competing platforms. We also show that under certain conditions, the mixed-bundling strategy can always bring larger value for both platforms if the intrinsic value of the integrated content (the fractions of the installed base) becomes smaller (higher) relative to the unbundling strategy. These results offer valuable implications for relevant practices.

MSC:

91B24 Microeconomic theory (price theory and economic markets)
Full Text: DOI

References:

[1] Adams, W. J.; Yellen, J. L., Commodity bundling and the burden of monopoly., Quarterly Journal of Economics, 90, 3, 475-498 (1976)
[2] Amelio, A.; Jullien, B., Tying and freebies in two-sided markets., International Journal of Industrial Organization, 30, 5, 436-446 (2012)
[3] Anderson, S. P.; de Palma, A., The logit as a model of product differentiation., Oxford Economic Papers, 44, 1, 51-67 (1992)
[4] Armstrong, M., Competition in two-sided markets., Rand Journal of Economics, 37, 3, 668-691 (2006)
[5] Banciu, M.; Ødegaard, F., Optimal product bundling with dependent valuations: The price of independence., European Journal of Operational Research, 255, 2, 481-495 (2016) · Zbl 1346.91084
[6] Bhargava, H. K., Mixed bundling of two independently valued goods., Management Science, 59, 9, 2170-2185 (2013)
[7] Bhattacharya, S.; Robotis, A.; Van Wassenhove, L. N., Installed base management versus selling in monopolistic and competitive environments., European Journal of Operational Research, 273, 2, 596-607 (2019) · Zbl 1403.90085
[8] Caillaud, B.; Jullien, B., Chicken and egg: Competition among intermediation service providers., Rand Journal of Economics, 34, 2, 309-329 (2003)
[9] Caplin, A.; Nalebuff, B., Aggregation and imperfect competition: On the existence of equilibrium., Econometrica, 59, 1, 25-59 (1991) · Zbl 0738.90012
[10] Chakravarty, A.; Mild, A.; Taudes, A., Bundling decisions in supply chains., European Journal of Operational Research, 231, 3, 617-630 (2013)
[11] Chao, Y.; Derdenger, T., Mixed bundling in two-sided markets in the presence of installed base effects., Management Science, 59, 8, 1904-1926 (2013)
[12] Chen, M.; Rennhoff, A. D.; Serfes, K., Bundling, à la carte pricing and vertical bargaining in a two-sided model., Information Economics and Policy, 35, 30-44 (2016)
[13] Choi, J. P., Tying in two-sided markets with multi-homing., Journal of Industrial Economics, 58, 2, 607-626 (2010)
[14] Choi, J. P.; Jeon, D.-S., A leverage theory of tying in two-sided markets., Working paper (2016)
[15] Gao, M., Platform pricing in mixed two-sided markets., International Economic Review, 59, 3, 1103-1129 (2018) · Zbl 1417.91218
[16] Giri, R. N.; Mondal, S. K.; Maiti, M., Bundle pricing strategies for two complementary products with different channel powers., Annals of Operations Research, 1-25 (2017)
[17] Halaburda, H.; Yehezkel, Y., Platform competition under asymmetric information., American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 5, 3, 22-68 (2013)
[18] Hensher, D. A.; Greene, W. H., The mixed logit model: The state of practice., Transportation, 30, 2, 133-176 (2003)
[19] Jeitschko, T. D.; Tremblay, M. J., Homogeneous platform competition with endogenous homing., Working paper (2014) · Zbl 1454.91098
[20] Kopczewski, T.; Sobolewski, M.; Miernik, I., Bundling or unbundling? integrated simulation model of optimal pricing strategies., International Journal of Production Economics, 204, 328-345 (2018)
[21] Luo, X.; Li, M.; Feng, H.; Feng, N., Intertemporal mixed bundling strategy of information products with network externality., Computers & Industrial Engineering, 113, 369-381 (2017)
[22] Mishra, V. K.; Natarajan, K.; Padmanabhan, D.; Teo, C. P.; Li, X., On theoretical and empirical aspects of marginal distribution choice models., Management Science, 60, 6, 1511-1531 (2014)
[23] Nalebuff, B., Bundling as an entry barrier., Quarterly Journal of Economics, 119, 1, 159-187 (2004) · Zbl 1096.91018
[24] Natarajan, K.; Song, M.; Teo, C. P., Persistency model and its applications in choice modeling., Management Science, 55, 3, 453-469 (2009) · Zbl 1232.91139
[25] Parker, G. G.; Alstyne, M. W.V., Two-sided network effects: A theory of information product design., Management Science, 51, 10, 1494-1504 (2005)
[26] Peitz, M., Bundling may blockade entry., International Journal of Industrial Organization, 26, 1, 41-58 (2008)
[27] Pierce, B.; Winter, H., Pure vs. mixed commodity bundling., Review of Industrial Organization, 11, 6, 811-821 (1996)
[28] Prasad, A.; Mahajan, V., Optimal bundling of technological products with network externality., Management Science, 56, 12, 2224-2236 (2010) · Zbl 1232.91260
[29] Prasad, A.; Venkatesh, R.; Mahajan, V., Product bundling or reserved product pricing? price discrimination with myopic and strategic consumers., International Journal of Research in Marketing, 32, 1, 1-8 (2015)
[30] Reisinger, M., Two-part tariff competition between two-sided platforms., European Economic Review, 68, 3, 168-180 (2014)
[31] Roberts, J. H.; Lilien, G. L., Explanatory and predictive models of consumer behavior., Handbooks in Operations Research & Management Science, 5, 27-82 (1993) · Zbl 0898.90001
[32] Rochet, J.; Tirole, J., Platform competition in two-sided markets., Journal of the European Economic Association, 1, 4, 990-1029 (2003)
[33] Schmalensee, R., Gaussian demand and commodity bundling., Journal of Business, 57, 1, 211-230 (1984)
[34] Stigler, G. J., United states v. loew’s inc.: A note on block-booking., The Supreme Court Review, 1963, 152-157 (1963)
[35] Sun, K., Bundling, vertical differentiation, and platform competition., Review of Network Economics, 17, 1, 1-23 (2018)
[36] Train, K., Discrete choice methods with simulation (2003), Cambridge University Press: Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK · Zbl 1047.62098
[37] Vamosiu, A., Compatibility and bundling of stand and no stand-alone use complements., International Journal of Production Economics, 201, 62-74 (2018)
[38] Vamosiu, A., Optimal bundling under imperfect competition., International Journal of Production Economics, 195, 45-53 (2018)
[39] Venkatesh, R.; Mahajan, V., The design and pricing of bundles: A review of normative guidelines and practical approaches., (Rao, V., Handbook of Pricing Research in Marketing (2009), Edward Elgar Publishing: Edward Elgar Publishing Northampton, MA)
[40] Xu, B.; Yao, Z.; Tang, P., Pricing strategies for information products with network effects and complementary services in a duopolistic market., International Journal of Production Research, 56, 12, 4243-4263 (2018)
This reference list is based on information provided by the publisher or from digital mathematics libraries. Its items are heuristically matched to zbMATH identifiers and may contain data conversion errors. In some cases that data have been complemented/enhanced by data from zbMATH Open. This attempts to reflect the references listed in the original paper as accurately as possible without claiming completeness or a perfect matching.