Management Science and Engineering Department 's Lecture

Theme：Product Description and Consumer Reviews in Omni-channel Retailing

Speaker：Xin Fang (Singapore Management University)

Time：2019-05-08 12:00

Address：Room 0406, Mingde Business Building

Language：Chinese/English

Abstract:
This paper studies how a retailer strategically provides product information in its offline and online channels. The two channels are operated either separately (dual-channel) or collectively (omni-channel). We consider two types of information: product description, which helps consumers identify whether the product fits their tastes, and consumer review, which is generated by the consumers who make the purchase. We find that, without consumer review, the omni-channel strategy leads to a higher profit than the dual channel strategy if and only if the information limit of the offline channel is low and consumers' valuation of the product is small. However, with consumer review, even if the information limit of the offline channel is high, the omni-channel strategy can still lead to a higher profit. Furthermore, consumer review can reduce the retailer's profit if consumers' valuation is sufficiently large.

Short biography:
Xin Fang joined Singapore Management University after completing his Ph.D. in Operations Management at the Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds a Bachelor degree in Information Systems from Fudan University. His research interests include competition and cooperation in supply chains, social and economic networks, corporate social responsibility, E-commerce, and operations and marketing interface. His research has been published on Operations Research and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.