退款保证对竞争供应链的影响:基于顾客退货行为视角

为研究退款保证对竞争供应链的影响,从顾客退货行为视角构建消费者效用函数,建立竞争制造商与在线零售商之间的博弈模型,分析退款保证对供应链均衡的影响。研究发现:高质量产品的批发价格和零售价格总是更高,但高质量产品制造商可能并不能获得更多利润;退款保证会影响消费者的产品购买选择,对低质量产品需求有利。然而,从利润最大化的角度,在线零售商只有在退货损失足够低时,才会有动机提供退款保证,而退款保证对制造商利润的影响取决于退货产品残值。     

考虑顾客退货和固定成本的联合补货与定价策略

为了吸引更多顾客,许多电子商务零售商允许顾客在一定时间内退货,导致其利润明显减少。同时,在补货时不仅产生依赖补货量的变动成本,而且会产生与补货量无关的固定成本。基于此,以最大化电子商务零售商的利润为目标,建立考虑顾客退货和固定成本的联合补货与定价模型,其中顾客的退货量与满足的需求呈正比。在一般需求情形下,部分刻画多期问题的最优策略;在特殊需求情形下,证明(s,S,p)策略对单期问题最优,并对多期问题的最优策略进行严格刻画。根据已有刻画为多期问题构造启发式策略。数值结果表明启发式策略近似最优;当初始库存水平足够高/低时,最优补货水平和定价随退货率与固定成本单调变化。关键词:联合补货与定价模型;顾客退货;固定成本;随机动态规划;最优策略     

考虑跨渠道退货的双渠道零售商定价与退货策略研究

本文以零售商线上线下销售和消费者退货并存的销售模式为背景，以零售商利润最大化为目标，构建线上线下统一定价和自主定价的双渠道和跨渠道退货两种不同的定价决策模型，分析了顾客渠道偏好和退货麻烦成本对零售商定价和退货策略选择与利润的影响。研究发现：给定退货麻烦成本，当顾客渠道偏好明显时，零售商应采取自主定价策略，否则应采取统一定价策略。顾客偏好线上渠道时，应该采取跨渠道退货政策；顾客偏好线下渠道时，应采取双渠道退货政策。零售商应根据顾客渠道偏好和退货麻烦成本选择合理的定价策略和退货策略，保证其利润最大化。本文研究对于采用线上线下渠道销售并允许退货的零售商设置最合理的退货方式和最优定价策略有一定的实际应用价值。     

不透明销售的顾客退货政策选择

本文探讨从事不透明销售的零售商对顾客退货政策的选择问题。分别针对零售商垄断和竞争两种市场情况,建立不透明零售商与其它供应链成员(制造商或普通零售商)之间的博弈模型,获得唯一均衡解;对均衡结果进行结构化分析,给出不透明销售方式下采用全额退款政策的判别条件;针对均衡结果,分析零售商垄断情况下产品不透明参数的最优设计,以及零售商竞争情况下的市场分化情况;鉴于净残值参数在退货政策选择中的决定性作用,本文进一步探讨了净残值为正时全额退款政策对各参与方利润及产品需求和价格的影响,分析了净残值在其中的作用机理。本研究能够为不透明零售商制定退货政策和价格以及其它供应链成员制定相关决策提供支持。     

考虑策略型消费者和退货的零售商降价促销决策研究

基于零售商降价促销问题,引入策略型消费者,考虑到异质性消费者有可能对商品不满意,构建两期决策模型,旨在从退货和价格路径优化两方面提高零售商利润。研究给出(不)允许退货时,零售商面对策略型消费者的定价建议,指出零售商制定价格要在一定程度上参考商品类型。订货量相同时,给出策略型消费者降低零售商的期望利润的条件;面对短视型或者策略型消费者时,允许退货可在特定条件下提升零售商利润。消费者退货成本越高,对策略型消费者消极影响的抑制作用越明显,零售商的利润增长越显著。最后,通过数值算例分析了在两种退货决策以及不同退货成本下产品类型对零售商定价的影响,以及退货措施对策略型消费者消极影响的作用。     

考虑消费者退货的双渠道订货量决策研究

在考虑消费者退货下,构建由制造商和零售商组成的二级供应链模型,研究了双方的订货量决策问题,并分析不同策略以及决策顺序对均衡结果和制造商开通直销渠道的影响。研究发现:在单渠道中,提供退款保证可提高订货量、制造商和零售商利润。当直销成本较大时,制造商将不开通直销渠道;提供退款保证有利于制造商开通直销渠道。在双渠道中,提供退款保证能够提高直销量、总订货量和制造商利润;直销量、总订货量、制造商利润和总利润都随直销成本递减;在顺序决策下,制造商利润和总利润更高。     

基于多品种的存货质押库存管理模型

通过质押某种商品,获得资金来采购其他商品,从而优化企业商品持有情况.通过对随机需求环境下的企业收益进行分析,构建多品种的存货质押库存管理模型,确定每种商品质押量和采购量.研究表明:商品利润越小、需求均值越小的商品,需要持有的商品量越小;通过质押该种商品来采购利润更大、需求更大的商品,从而增加企业利润.     

B2C零售商退货渠道策略研究

基于全渠道环境下,考虑B2C零售商提供全额退款保证,建立了同渠道退货策略和全渠道退货策略下的博弈模型,研究B2C零售商的退货渠道策略选择问题。结果表明,全渠道退货策略下,B2C零售商总是会实施高价策略,且当消费者线上退货损失较大时,最优定价随着消费者线上退货损失递增,反之递减;当B2C零售商实体店退货产品处理成本较小时,全渠道退货策略能有效增加消费者需求,实施全渠道退货策略是占优的;从消费者的角度看,当产品匹配率和消费者线上退货损失较高时,B2C零售商将会实施全渠道退货策略。     

VMCI下考虑顾客退货的供应链联合促销与协调

在允许顾客退货的环境下,以供应商管理寄售库存(VMCI)的供应链为对象,探讨了供应链的促销决策及协调问题。研究发现,集中情景下最优的寄售库存量与促销水平均高于分散情景下的对应值;根据在供应链运营过程中双方成员承担的不同风险设计的滞销补贴-双向促销成本分担契约可以实现供应链协调;期望退货费用不超过某一阈值时,全额退货策略优于不允许退货策略。此外,通过数值仿真揭示了顾客评估风险对利润及协调契约的影响。     

基于退款保证的产品价格、质量水平决策研究

主要研究退款保证策略对产品价格、产品质量水平和零售商利润影响的问题.在垄断零售商模式下,通过对零售商是否提供退款保证策略两种情形的比较,发现垄断零售商提供退款保证始终是有利可图的,提供退款保证帮助零售商提高产品质量水平,提高利润.当市场存在双寡头零售商时,两种类型零售商的退款保证策略分为四种情形-(不提供、不提供),(不提供、提供),(提供、不提供),(提供、提供),分别构建博弈模型,并求出相应情形下的均衡价格,产品质量水平和零售商利润.结果表明:在双寡头零售商竞争模式下,与都不提供退款保证相比,都提供退款保证不仅能帮助低满意度零售商提高产品质量水平,而且能同时帮助高、低满意度零售商提高利润.     

A dynamic model for optimal design quality and return policies

A clearly explained and generous return policy has been established as a competitive weapon to enhance sales. From the firm’s point of view, a generous return policy will increase sales revenue, but will also increase cost due to increased likelihood of return. Design quality of the product has been used as a competitive weapon for a long time. This paper recognizes the relationship between design quality and price of the product, and the firm’s return policy. Quality level in the product would influence the amount of return directly. When the product quality is higher, the customer satisfaction rate will increase and the probability of return will decrease. We develop a profit-maximization model to jointly obtain optimal policies for the product quality level, price and the return policy over time. The model presented in this paper is dynamic in nature and considers the decisions as the product moves through the life cycle. We obtain a number of managerial guidelines for using marketing and operational strategy variables to obtain the maximum benefit from the market. We mention several future research possibilities.     

贸易和产业政策对企业产品质量的影响博弈

在纵向产品差异化的双寡头竞争的框架下,对政府的贸易和产业政策做了分析,得到的主要结论为,只要国内企业生产低质量的产品,则贸易自由化会导致国内企业的产出水平下降和所有产品价格的提高;在贸易和产业政策一定的情况下,当国内企业的技术水平比较低时,国内企业生产低质量产品可以使社会福利达到最大化;另外,政府可以通过关税和补贴的干预使企业的产品质量产生跃进,超过国外竞争者.     

新产品定价决策的影响因素分析

新产品的成功销售取决于两个重要的因素:一是具有生产特性的工程变量,比如产品的可靠性水平;一是具有市场特征的影响因素,比如价格和保障机制。为了实现收益,制造商必须认真审视价格、产品可靠性和保障机制的选择。因此,本文将价格作为外生变量,将保障机制与可靠性作为决策变量,建立了以最大化为目标的收益模型,分析可靠性与保障机制的最优策略。另外,探讨当不同变量的敏感性参数发生变化时,最优保障机制与产品可靠性的变化规律。最后,通过算例分析收益函数的基本特性,结论显示消费者总是从产品保障机制的信号中判断产品的可靠性水平,这对新产品销售有一定的借鉴意义。     

Optimal ordering and pricing policy for an inventory system with trial periods

It is a business practice that home shopping companies offer a free trial period for their products with a goal of increasing sales. Under this policy, if for any reason customers are not satisfied with the purchase, they can return the product for a refund within the trial period. To develop inventory strategies in such environment, home shopping companies should take the return phenomenon into account so as to increase their profit. This paper considers this phenomenon and develops a seasonal inventory model to deal with the problem. Two scenarios are analyzed. In the first scenario, demand is assumed to be linearly price-dependent while in the second one, it is assumed to be exponentially price-dependent. The purpose of this research is to maximize the total profit over a given planning period by determining the optimal ordering quantity and price. The analytical results demonstrate that the optimal ordering quantity and prices are obtained using closed-form formulas.     

Optimal price and lot size determination for a perishable product under conditions of finite production, partial backordering and lost sale

The paper describes an EOQ model of a perishable product for the case of price dependent demand, partial backordering which depends on the length of the waiting time for the next replenishment, and lost sale. The model is solved analytically to obtain the optimal price and size of the replenishment. In the model, the customers are viewed to be impatient and a fraction of the demand is backlogged. This fraction is a function of the waiting time of the customers. In most of the inventory models developed so far, researchers considered that inventory accumulates at the early stage of the inventory and then shortage occurs. This type of inventory is called IFS (inventory followed by shortage) policy. In the present model we consider that shortage occurs before the starting of inventory. We have proved numerically that instead of taking IFS, if we consider SFI (shortage followed by inventory) policy, we would get better result, i.e., a higher profit. The model is extended to the case of non-perishable product also. The optimal solution of the model is illustrated with the help of a numerical example.     

A dynamic pricing approach for returned products in integrated forward/reverse logistics network design

During the last decade, the stringent pressures from environmental and social requirements have spurred an interest in designing a reverse logistics network. In this paper, we address the problem of designing and planning a multi-echelon, multi-period, multi-commodity and capacitated integrated forward/reverse logistics network. Returned products are categorized with respect to their quality levels, and a different acquisition price is offered for each return type. Furthermore, the reservation incentive of customers, the expected price of customers for one unit of used product described by uniform distribution, is applied to model the customers’ return willingness. Due to the fact that the remaining worthwhile value in the used products is the corporation’s key motivation for buying them from customers, a dynamic pricing approach is developed to determine the acquisition price for these products and based on it determine the percentage of returned products collected from customer zones. The used products’ acquisition prices at each time period are determined based on the customers’ return willingness by each collection center.     

收购价不确定下订单农业供应链融资方式选择——外部融资VS内部融资

基于“保底收购,随行就市”的订单价格机制,构建了“公司+农户”型订单农业供应链模型,求解了外部融资均衡和内部融资均衡,分析了收购公司和农户对外部融资方式和内部融资方式的选择意愿以及订单农业供应链的融资方式选择结果。研究发现,公司总是希望农户选择期望回报率低的融资方式,然而自有资金高的农户却偏爱期望回报率高的融资方式,这是因为期望回报率高时农户会降低投产量,而公司为激励农户会提高保底价,此时对农户而言保底价增大带来的收益要大于期望回报率增加带来的损失,但供应链整体利益却受到损害。最重要的是,公司出台内部融资的补贴和额外收费政策可以实现供应链双方的共赢。     

The impact of customer returns on pricing and order decisions

In this paper, we address the simultaneous determination of price and inventory replenishment when customers return product to the firm. We examine cases when the quantity of returned product is a function of both the quantity sold and the price, in single and multi-period problems, with and without uncertainty in demand.     

Analysis and design of returns policies from a supplier's perspective

This paper considers the problem of designing a returns policy in a supply chain from a supplier's perspective. The supply chain considered here is assumed to have one supplier and one retailer who serves a random demand of a product with a short life cycle. The retailer can return all the unsold products to the supplier with a partial refund. We found that if the retailer behaviour is rational, that is, ordering the optimal quantity to maximize its expected profit, then both retailer and supplier could benefit from the returns policy. Furthermore, we established that the optimal buyback price is independent of the mean of the random demand, but the variance of the demand has a significant impact on setting the optimal buyback price. The higher the variance the higher the optimal buyback price and the larger the profit gain of both parties. Numerical studies are employed to help understand the benefits of returns policies for the supplier, the retailer, and the whole supply chain.     

Pricing used products for remanufacturing

Remanufacturing is one of recovery options for used products. As remanufacturing requires a continuous supply of used products, the economic incentive is required to attract customers to return their used products (called cores) and the problem of pricing a core becomes an important issue. Such a pricing problem is analogous to pricing an option, which can be used to sell the remanufactured cores (called core products). As sales price of core products follows a geometric Brownian motion, we propose a model here to evaluate the acquisition price of cores. This model links core acquisition price with the sale price of core product but assumes other costs such as logistics and remanufacturing to be deterministic. We have presented a numerical example to show its applicability. Since the model proposed here is generic, it is believed that the proposed model can be used in setting the core prices in many situations.