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How Market Power Affects Dynamic Pricing: Evidence from Inventory Fluctuations at Car Dealerships

Author

Listed:
  • Ayelet Israeli

    (Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02163)

  • Fiona Scott-Morton

    (Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520; National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138)

  • Jorge Silva-Risso

    (University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521)

  • Florian Zettelmeyer

    (National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138; Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois 60208)

Abstract
This paper investigates empirically the effect of market power on dynamic pricing in the presence of inventories. Our setting is the auto retail industry; we analyze how automotive dealerships adjust prices to inventory levels under varying degrees of market power. We first establish that inventory fluctuations create scarcity rents for cars that are in short supply. We then show that dealers’ ability to adjust prices in response to inventory depends on their market power, that is, the quantity of substitute inventory in their selling area. Specifically, we show that the slope of the price–inventory relationship (higher inventory lowers prices) is significantly steeper when dealers find themselves in a situation of high rather than low market power. A dealership with high market power moving from a situation of inventory shortage to a median inventory level lowers transaction prices by about 0.57% ceteris paribus, corresponding to 32.5% of dealers’ average per-vehicle profit margin or $145.6 on the average car. Conversely, when competition is more intense, moving from inventory shortage to a median inventory level lowers transaction prices by about 0.35% ceteris paribus, corresponding to 20.2% of dealers’ average per-vehicle profit margin or $90.9. To our knowledge, we are the first to empirically show that market power affects firms’ ability to dynamically price.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayelet Israeli & Fiona Scott-Morton & Jorge Silva-Risso & Florian Zettelmeyer, 2022. "How Market Power Affects Dynamic Pricing: Evidence from Inventory Fluctuations at Car Dealerships," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(2), pages 895-916, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:68:y:2022:i:2:p:895-916
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2021.3967
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. O. Cem Ozturk & Cheng He & Pradeep K. Chintagunta, 2024. "Frontiers: Inequalities in Dealers’ Interest Rate Markups? A Gender- and Race-Based Analysis," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 43(1), pages 20-32, January.

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