Price discount framings on product bundles with shipping surcharges in the Indian market: examining the weighted-additive and reference-dependent models

Purpose To study how consumers process price frames of product bundles (product plus surcharge) and discount offers in order to weigh contentious positions between the weighted-additive and the reference-dependent models. Further, some research suggests bundling while others suggest partitioning to be a more effective pricing strategy. This research evaluated the relative influences of different price frames to examine (a) which model is supported and (b) boundary conditions for price framing. Design/methodology/approach Two online studies were conducted on Indian adults who had prior experiences of online purchases. They were asked to judge attractiveness of bundles (product along with shipping surcharge) with discounts on the product, surcharge or overall bundle; when prices were either partitioned or bundled. Findings Across two studies on low and high priced products, discounts on shipping surcharge increased attractiveness of the bundle compared to a similar discount on the product or on the overall bundle, supporting the reference-dependent model. Further, for a low priced product, bundling increased attractiveness while for a high priced product, partitioning was more attractive. Research limitations/implications More research is needed to examine whether these results translate to other kinds of products, surcharges or discount promotions and in different populations. Originality/value This research makes important contributions to theoretical and practical aspects of bundling and partitioned pricing research. It also adds much needed data about evaluation of product bundles with shipping surcharges among Indian customers.by Arvind Sahay, Sumitava Mukherjee and Prem Prakash Dewan