Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming Behavior

In the face of competitive pricing pressure from online retailers and high-quality service pressure from physical retailers, are retailers in these two channels willing to establish a service cooperation (SC) strategy? If so, then will they support or avoid consumer showrooming behavior? To address...

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Main Authors: Jiqiong Liu, Shuai Feng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2023-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10226209/
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author Jiqiong Liu
Shuai Feng
author_facet Jiqiong Liu
Shuai Feng
author_sort Jiqiong Liu
collection DOAJ
description In the face of competitive pricing pressure from online retailers and high-quality service pressure from physical retailers, are retailers in these two channels willing to establish a service cooperation (SC) strategy? If so, then will they support or avoid consumer showrooming behavior? To address these questions, we use a game theoretic model to examine three strategic configurations: nonservice cooperation (SN), SC, and nonshowroom cooperation (NC). We recommend the optimal strategy based on factors influencing the service-level threshold, such as market information coverage factors and service characteristics. Our results show that the SC strategy is the best for physical retailers when their market coverage is low or the threshold requirement for service is high; however, when the service level is low, physical retailers should avoid supporting consumer showrooming behavior; that is, the NC strategy is their best choice. In contrast, online retailers are always willing to choose the SC strategy and support showrooming to reflect their lower price advantage. Finally, we explore the optimal strategies of the two retailers in the endogenous service-level scenario. The optimal strategy selection of online retailers remains unchanged. However, physical retailers prefer the SN strategy because of their dominance in service; these retailers have the incentive to choose the NC strategy when their markets have a high degree of information coverage.
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spelling doaj.art-527aa1106f0a4c5686b69e74b9ad6fdc2023-09-05T23:00:29ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362023-01-0111921509216610.1109/ACCESS.2023.330750910226209Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming BehaviorJiqiong Liu0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4910-564XShuai Feng1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3432-1297School of Business, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, ChinaSchool of Business, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, ChinaIn the face of competitive pricing pressure from online retailers and high-quality service pressure from physical retailers, are retailers in these two channels willing to establish a service cooperation (SC) strategy? If so, then will they support or avoid consumer showrooming behavior? To address these questions, we use a game theoretic model to examine three strategic configurations: nonservice cooperation (SN), SC, and nonshowroom cooperation (NC). We recommend the optimal strategy based on factors influencing the service-level threshold, such as market information coverage factors and service characteristics. Our results show that the SC strategy is the best for physical retailers when their market coverage is low or the threshold requirement for service is high; however, when the service level is low, physical retailers should avoid supporting consumer showrooming behavior; that is, the NC strategy is their best choice. In contrast, online retailers are always willing to choose the SC strategy and support showrooming to reflect their lower price advantage. Finally, we explore the optimal strategies of the two retailers in the endogenous service-level scenario. The optimal strategy selection of online retailers remains unchanged. However, physical retailers prefer the SN strategy because of their dominance in service; these retailers have the incentive to choose the NC strategy when their markets have a high degree of information coverage.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10226209/Showroomingcooperation strategyconsumer behavior
spellingShingle Jiqiong Liu
Shuai Feng
Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming Behavior
IEEE Access
Showrooming
cooperation strategy
consumer behavior
title Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming Behavior
title_full Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming Behavior
title_fullStr Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming Behavior
title_full_unstemmed Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming Behavior
title_short Cooperate or Not? A Service Cooperation Strategy for Products With Service Attributes Considering Showrooming Behavior
title_sort cooperate or not a service cooperation strategy for products with service attributes considering showrooming behavior
topic Showrooming
cooperation strategy
consumer behavior
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10226209/
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AT shuaifeng cooperateornotaservicecooperationstrategyforproductswithserviceattributesconsideringshowroomingbehavior