This paper examines probabilistic selling (PS) as an inventory management mechanism, paying special attention to the impact of the timing of product assignment to buyers of probabilistic goods. In practice, sellers tend to offer probabilistic products only after major demand uncertainty has been...

This paper defines a unique type of product or service offering, termed probabilistic goods, and analyzes a novel selling strategy, termed probabilistic selling (PS). A probabilistic good is not a concrete product or service but an offer involving a probability of getting any one of a set of...

Determination of the merchandise assortment is an important decision for retailers since the composition and depth of the product mix greatly impact both unit sales and costs. This paper considers how Probabilistic Selling (PS), an emerging marketing strategy, impacts the type and number of...

Managing inventories is difficult for a seller who faces uncertainty about future demand for its products. Unexpectedly low demand for a product leads to wasted investment in inventory and subsequent markdowns. Conversely, unexpectedly high demand leads to stockouts and the resulting opportunity...