Online Product Presale Pricing Strategies Considering Consumer Anticipated Regret Behavior

Online product pricing represents a critical research domain within the platform economy, with the two-stage hybrid pre-sale model emerging as a prevalent mode of online sales. Within the realm of online purchasing, the pre-sale approach exerts a profound influence on consumer behavior and product pricing, while concurrently, consumers' idiosyncratic irrational behavior also significantly shapes product pricing. Based on the two-stage hybrid pre-sale model, this study explores the impact of anticipated regret on consumers' purchasing decision-making processes. Through the formulation of a pertinent product pricing model, the investigation delves into the determination of optimal pricing, sales volume, and profit margins for online products. Moreover, it scrutinizes the ramifications of anticipated regret on consumer behavior and the consequential implications for optimal pricing strategies. Theoretical deliberations and numerical analyses reveal that a lower sensitivity coefficient of high-price regret corresponds to heightened firm profitability, whereas an elevated sensitivity coefficient of out-of-stock regret correlates with enhanced firm profitability. Furthermore, mitigating waiting costs during the pre-sale phase is identified as a means to bolster firm profits. These insights furnish valuable guidance for platform enterprises and merchants endeavoring to refine their product pricing strategies.