基于有限理性消费者的网络零售商退货运费险策略研究

Return Freight Insurance Strategies for Online Retailers Considering Bounded Rational Consumers

考虑有限理性消费者前提下,研究网络零售商的退货运费险策略问题。网络零售商可以选择仅提供退款保证、向消费者赠送运费险和提供运费险购买选择由消费者自行决定是否购买三种退货运费险策略。研究发现:(1)网络零售商推出运费险服务时,如果消费者商品满意度较低,消费者有限理性行为将使网络零售商获益;如果消费者商品满意度较高,消费者有限理性行为将损害网络零售商利益。(2)如果网络零售商仅向消费者提供购买运费险选择,运费险保费设定过高将导致消费者完全放弃购买运费险,从而运费险无法发挥应有的作用。(3)只要运费险保费设定低于阈值,提供退货服务的同时提供购买运费险选择始终是网络零售商的最优运费险策略。只有运费险保费设定低时,既提供退货服务又赠送运费险策略下网络零售商才能获得比仅提供退货服务更高的利润。(4)在有限理性行为的影响下,只有运费险保费设定低时,消费者才能在网络零售商推出运费险服务时获得比无运费险服务时更多的消费者剩余。此外,本文还分析了网络零售商针对消费者退货所采用的“相机策略”,发现“相机策略”无法增加网络零售商利润。

The strategic choice of return-freight insurance strategies for an e-tailer is studied with bounded rational consumers taken into consideration.There are three strategies for the e-tailer to choose:only offering the money-back guarantee(MBG),offering complimentary return-freight insurance(CRI),and offering return-freight insurance purchase options for consumers to decide whether to purchase.Our research finds the following results.(1) The bounded rationality of consumers will benefit the e-tailers who introduce return freight insurance product if the product is highly satisfying to consumers and will damage the e-tailers if the product is less satisfying to them.(2) If the e-tailer introduces RI policy and sets a very high RI premium,then consumers may give up purchasing RI,as result of which,return-freight insurance will not work as intended.(3) RI policy is always the optimal return-freight insurance strategy for the e-tailer as long as the return-freight insurance premiums are set below a certain threshold.Only when the freight insurance is pruced at a low premium,can the e-tailer achieve higher profitability from CRI policy than by offering only return service.(4) Due to the effect of the bounded rationality,only when return-freight insurance is priced at a low premium,can consumers obtain greater consumer surplus when the e-tailer offers return-freight insurance services than when they do not.In addition,the “contingency policy” for consumer returns is also analyzed and it is found that the “contingency policy” does not increase the e-tailer's profit.