Price and Warranty Competition in a Duopoly Supply Chain

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the coordination and competition issues in a two-stage distribution channel where two different retailers compete on their retail price and warranty policy to sell two substitutable products in the same market. The demand faced by each retailer not only depends on its own price and warranty duration, but also on the price and warranty duration set by the other. Mathematical models have been developed to analyze the dynamic competition and coordination mechanism for three different cases where retailers compete (1) exclusively on price; (2) exclusively on warranty duration; (3) both price and warranty duration.