Title: Using consumer-perceived risks to set optimal discount levels

Authors: Marlene Jensen, Ronald G. Drozdenko

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven, PA 17745, USA. ' Department of Marketing, Western Connecticut State University, 181 White Street, Danbury, CT 06810, USA

Abstract: Managing revenue includes setting the lowest discounts necessary to achieve the desired boost in unit sales and profits. This study systematically examines how four risk types; financial, performance, social/psychological and physical, relate to the optimal discount selected by consumers in 12 product categories. Higher priced products had the highest perceived financial risk; performance and physical risk was highest for tyres; and social/psychological risk was highest for shirt/blouse. Two of the risk factors, social/psychological and physical, were found to be predictive of optimal discount levels. The revenue management implications of setting discount levels in different product categories are discussed.

Keywords: revenue management; risk perceptions; risk types; pricing; discounting; price perceptions; consumer preceptions; optimal discounts; discount levels.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRM.2008.020725

International Journal of Revenue Management, 2008 Vol.2 No.4, pp.327 - 343

Published online: 12 Oct 2008 *

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