E-tailer’s Inventory Location and Pricing With Strategic Consumers
研究了策略型消费者如何影响电商的仓库选址、定价和库存决策，发现本地仓储会促使消费者延迟购买，迫使电商降价，甚至可能放弃免费本地仓库，而增加本地仓储成本或降低产品耐用性反而可能提高利润。
This research examines how strategic consumer behavior influences e-tailers’ decisions on inventory storage locations, pricing strategies, and inventory levels. The e-tailer opts for either a single central warehouse, which has lower holding but higher shipping costs due to its distance from consumers, or a mix of central and proximal local warehouses, which reduces shipping costs but incurs higher holding costs. We find that local warehousing prompts consumers to delay purchases in hopes of discounts, compelling e-tailers to lower prices to encourage early buying. Consequently, the firm may not utilize the local warehouse, even when it comes at no cost. Intriguingly, we find that increased local storage expenses or diminished product durability could paradoxically elevate firm profits. Our numerical analysis highlights the benefits of strategically distributing inventory across both central and local warehouses, especially under conditions of reduced demand uncertainty. Moreover, we establish that our key insights persist in the case of multiple local warehouses.