زهرا رضايي زاده

Pricing perishable goods is of critical importance, as their deterioration poses a significant threat to the environment and leads to waste, contributing to pollution and the depletion of natural resources. At the same time, one of the key economic goals for all market participants is to maximize profit. Therefore, it is essential to carefully eva‎luate various pricing strategies and determine optimal prices that not only maximize profits for producers, wholesalers, and retailers but also reduce product waste and minimize environmental damage. Achieving this delicate balance between the most economically efficient methods and the most sustainable solutions requires detailed analysis and the use of advanced models to meet long-term economic and environmental goals. In this research, we present pricing models that consider various pricing strategies for different goods in a distribution system involving wholesalers, retailers, and two channels: online and traditional. The interactions between market participants are examined through both cooperative and competitive frameworks, categorized as centralized and decentralized structures. In each scenario, participants may decide on equal or unequal pricing strategies. As a result, four strategies based on interaction types and pricing structures are considered. Subsequently, we proceed with modeling each strategy, analyzing key parameters that influence price and demand, and providing methods for determining them. The most critical parameter in this analysis is brand value. Furthermore, demand in all models is considered to be price and brand-value dependent. For decentralized strategies, a Stackelberg game with the wholesaler as the leader and the retailer as the follower is employed. Using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker method, we convert the bilevel problem into a unified problem and then solve it using metaheuristic algorithms. Finally, we present four pricing models corresponding to the strategies adopted by market participants and conduct a case study to eva‎luate each scenario. The sensitivity and impact of parameters on profit maximization are also examined and analyzed.

استراتژي قيمت گذاري , محصولات فاسد شدني , زنجيره تامين , نظريه بازي ها , رقابت

Pricing Strategy , Perishable Products , Supply Chain , Game Theory , Competition

Zahra Rezaeizadeh

Ahmad Makuei