Wholesale Price Discrimination in Global Sourcing

Problem definition : We investigate wholesale price discrimination in a global sourcing marketplace. Academic/practical relevance : Previous research has found price discrimination in business-to-consumer markets, in which buyers are end customers. There is limited research on suppliers’ price-quoting behaviors and price discrimination in business-to-business (B2B) markets. It is unclear whether certain characteristics of B2B buyers, who are often representatives of firms and not end customers, would influence suppliers’ pricing decisions. Methodology : We collaborate with a global trading company that runs a field experiment on a B2B platform. Results : We find that there is no significant difference in the wholesale prices quoted to buyers selling in U.S. and South African markets. We also find that suppliers quote significantly higher wholesale prices to white buyers than to Asian and black buyers regardless of country. However, price discrimination disappears when buyers present market information to suppliers, providing the lowest wholesale price offered by other suppliers in the market, whereas price discrimination remains when buyers present social information to suppliers, thereby indicating the buyer is referred by a previous customer. In addition, we show that market information can help buyers obtain a lower wholesale price because it signals a lower willingness to pay. Social information, however, can reduce price quotes for only black and white buyers but not for Asian (particularly Chinese) buyers. Managerial implications : Our work can provide guidance to suppliers’ pricing strategies, buyers’ inquiry strategies, and B2B platforms’ information strategies to attract and retain users.