In this paper, we study how a retailer can benefit from acquiring consumer taste information in the presence of competition between the retailers store brand (SB) and a manufacturers national brand (NB). In our model, there is ex-ante uncertainty about consumer preferences for distinct product...

Problem definition. Product proliferation occurs in supply chains to produce diverse product portfolios from a limited variety of raw materials. In such a setting, upstream operational decisions are often plagued with high demand uncertainty, whereas downstream decisions are exposed to high...

Product proliferation occurs in supply chains to produce diverse products from a limited variety of raw materials. In such a setting, manufacturers can establish market responsiveness and/or cost efficiency in alternative ways. Delaying the point of the proliferation helps manufacturers improve...