Service selection strategic analysis for selfoperated e-commerce platforms under settlement

In order to study whether e-commerce platforms carry out service cooperation after settlement in-depth, this paper focuses on service selection strategic analysis for agent channels on some self-operated e-commerce platforms settled in hybrid e-commerce platforms. We present multi-leader-follower models in two different scenarios with the platforms as leaders and the manufacturers as followers and give some numerical experiments to analyze the impacts of service selection strategies for self-operated platforms on all supply chain members. Our finding shows that if the service cost efficiency is moderate or low, the self-operated platform prefers to provide its service for the agent; otherwise, its selection mainly depends on the unit product service fee. In addition, fierce service competition and high unit service fee are unfavorable to all members, while high service cost efficiency may hurt both the platform and the manufacturer

ESSAYS ON RETAIL ENTRY AND EXIT

The landscape of the retail industry has witnessed dramatic changes over the past decades. Both manufacturers and retailers are increasingly challenged to find innovative ways to reach and delight not only their existing customers, but also potential new customers. In this dissertation, I aim to pin down the entry effects of an innovative channel -- online marketplaces in Essay 1 and Essay 2, and the exit effects of a traditional channel – Walmart supercenter in Essay 3. In Essay 1 “The Value of Online Marketplaces to Brand Manufacturers in Emerging Markets”, I apply an event-study methodology to examine whether manufacturers’ decisions are justified by studying the net impact of adopting marketplaces on a firm’s stock market return. To further gain insight into to whom gains may arise, I use a contingency framework and relate manufacturers’ short-term abnormal returns to manufacturers’ market knowledge and marketing strengths. The findings provide comprehensive guidance for manufacturers, global or local, to assess whether and to what extent they can take advantage of online marketplaces to thrive in emerging economies. In Essay 2 “For Better or for Worse: The Halo Effects of Online Marketplaces on Entrenched Brick-and-Mortar Stores”, I evaluate the impact of online marketplaces on entrenched brick-and-mortar stores -- whether and to what extent retailers and all brands within the category stand to lose or win. To address this question, I use a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) model to quantify the impact of online marketplaces. The study not only contributes theoretically to the scant literature on the interaction between online marketplaces and offline channels but also offers manufacturers insightful instructions on multichannel decisions. In Essay 3 “When Stores Leave: The Impact of Walmart Supercenter Closure on Retail Price”, I seek to understand how retail prices change following the exit of a local retailer by using Walmart supercenter closures in local U.S. markets as a working example. By using a difference-in-difference estimator with correction for selection bias, I find that, on average, consumers have to pay a higher price (+1.6%) after a Walmart supercenter’ exit. The study provides valuable insights into the potential impact of retail exit on price and consumer welfare.Doctor of Philosoph

Motivational Factors of the Collaborative Consumption in the Era of Sharing Econmy

The aim of this study was to analyze the motivational factors of collaborative consumption in the era of the sharing economy, as a part of consumers’ behavior by online media platforms. Collaborative consumption is about people’s willingness to share and to collaborate to meet certain needs. The study used the qualitative method with interviews for the data’s collection. The context of the study was using consumers who had experience of using Airbnb, Go-Jek, and selling their product via online media. Twenty-four respondents were obtained for the interviews. The length of each interview was approximately 1.5 hours. The analysis of this shifting consumption across its different facets provided an analysis of the motivational aspect of sharing resources, and the change in consumer consumption patterns. The motivational research examined the underlying reasons for consumers to act, and to undertake collaborative consumption; home sharing and selling second-hand goods were analyzed from the perspectives of their economic aspects, utility reasons, social orientation, emotional aspects, ecological aspects and personal values

Does buyer-seller similarity affect buyer satisfaction with the seller firm?

With the increased reliance on diverse markets in multi-cultural contexts, the role that similarity can play in the relationship between a salesperson and a buyer is receiving increased attention. Similarity is regarded as the cornerstone of positive communications, and salespeople rely on the trust that can be created by this recognition of likeness. However, there are different types of similarity, and not all have an equal bearing on the salesperson-buyer relationship. In this study, we examine similarity in appearance, similarity in lifestyle, and similarity in status. Most studies go no further than examining the effect of similarity on a buyer’s satisfaction with a salesperson, and to date there appear to be few studies relating to the effect of similarity on satisfaction with a firm. This study examines the effect of similarity on a buyer’s sense of satisfaction with a firm represented by a salesperson in the banking context. The results of the study show that appearance similarity and status similarity have a significant effect on the salesperson-buyer relationship, whereas lifestyle similarity has no effect. The buyer’s satisfaction with a salesperson is found to mediate the relationship between similarity in appearance and the buyer’s satisfaction with a firm. In this paper, we discuss these findings and look at their implications for both research and practice. Findings of the study are particularly important because of New Zealand’s increasing interaction with Asia and its people, which has transformed New Zealand to become a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country

Pricing Strategy of eBooks in a Two-Sided Market under the Threat of Piracy

This thesis analyzes the effect of piracy on the price of eBook when the publisher uses the market platform for the sale of eBook. Under the traditional sales mechanism, called “resale model”, the market platform or an intermediary purchases eBook from the publisher at a wholesale price and sets the retail price. Under the new sales mechanism, called “agency model”, the publisher sets the retail price directly and pays a share of revenue to the platform as a fee for its service. Using a theoretical model, this thesis compares the equilibrium outcomes under both sales mechanisms. It shows that the retail price is always higher in the resale model regardless of the presence of piracy due to the presence of double marginalization associated with the resale model. In the presence of piracy, the size of the price increase is higher under the agency model due to investment in Digital Right Management (DRM) by the publishers. Under the agency model, publisher can recoup DRM cost only by setting higher retail price. However, under the resale model, platform recovers DRM cost in two ways: paying lower wholesale price and charging on retail price. Therefore, the demand for an original eBook reduces more with piracy under the agency model than under the resale model. The equilibrium amount of investment for DRM is the same under the both models, because consumer’s piracy behavior does not relate to the pricing model adopted by the industry. The amount of profits for publisher and marketplace vary according to pre-specified share of revenue. This thesis suggests that, in the presence of piracy, the agency model may not be a better strategy for the publisher if the market structure is monopoly; the resale model may be better for the publisher in this situation

Structural changes in online retailing and the marketing mix: An analysis considering multichannel online retailing and voice dialog interfaces

The online retail environment is expanding, enhancing the possibilities for customers to shop online. On the one hand, a proliferation of online channels establishes a multichannel online retailing landscape, which offers customers more alternatives in terms of where to shop online. On the other hand, a change in the user interaction mode of existing customer touchpoints, from graphics to voice, creates new voice dialog interfaces, which enhance the way with regard to how customers can shop online. In this context, this publication-based dissertation aims to generate theoretical and practical contributions on these two most recent developments in online retailing, i.e., multichannel online retailing and voice dialog interfaces, to improve marketing mix decision-making

Challenges at the marketing–operations interface in omni-channel retail environments

To compete in today’s omni-channel business context, it is essential for firms to co-ordinate their activities across channels and across different stages of the customer journey and the product flow. This requires firms to adopt an integrative approach, addressing each omni-channel design decision from a dual demand-side (marketing) and supply-side (operations) perspective. However, both in practice and in academic research, such an integrative approach is still in an immature stage. In this article, a framework is developed with the following key decision areas: (i) assortment and inventory, (ii) distribution and delivery and (iii) returns. These affect both the customer journey and the product flow. As a consequence of the resulting interdependencies between the firm’s functions, addressing the issues that arise in the three decision areas requires an integrated marketing and operations perspective. For each of the areas, the key decisions that affect or involve both the customer journey and product flow are identified first. Next, for each decision, the marketing and operational goals and the tensions that arise when these goals are not perfectly aligned are described. The opportunities for relieving these tensions are also discussed and possible directions for future research aimed at addressing these tensions and opportunities are presented