关键词: 绿色制造商, 转售和代理模式, 自有品牌, 相对质量, 生产成本效率

Abstract: This paper constructs a two-tier supply chain comprised of a single manufacturer and a single e-commerce platform. The manufacturer’s brand products are sold to end consumers through the e-commerce platform using either resale or agency sales model. Consumers in the market have a green sensitivity and higher demand for product quality. The e-commerce platform considers whether to introduce its private label, and whether this private label should be of low or high quality. To this end, the paper examines six different scenarios, provides the specific equilibrium outcomes, and performs a comparative analysis. Additionally, simulations have been conducted using numerical data.
The main findings of the paper are as follows: Firstly, under the reselling model, the introduction of low-quality private labels by e-commerce platforms will be generally feasible only when relative production cost efficiency is low. For high-quality private labels, it is necessary to ensure that the relative production cost efficiency is not too high. Secondly, in the agency model, since manufacturers control pricing and benefit from lower agency rates, introducing private labels could reduce profits for both parties. In such cases, there is a consensus between the e-commerce platform and the manufacturer about not introducing private labels. Additionally, if the production cost efficiency of these brands is low, the e-commerce platform has the flexibility to introduce either high-quality or low-quality brands. In this scenario, private labels have weaker competitiveness and do not pose a threat to manufacturers, thus usually gaining their support and helping to achieve a win-win situation. However, as production cost efficiency increases, if the e-commerce platform’s private labels start to genuinely threaten the manufacturer’s brands, this balance of collaboration might be disrupted. Lastly, when e-commerce platforms introduce low-quality private labels, if these brands are of relatively low quality, they may prompt manufacturers to lower their green levels. If the e-commerce platform enhances the quality of its private labels, manufacturers typically respond by raising their green levels. Yet, when high-quality private labels are introduced and only if these brands reach a certain high-quality threshold, the manufacturer’s green levels might decrease. Moreover, the green levels of manufacturers are higher under the agency model than in the reselling model.
This paper studies the symbiotic and competitive relationship between green manufacturers and e-commerce platforms, offering managerial insights for related businesses. First, the findings can assist manufacturers in adjusting the greenness and pricing of their products in response to the threat posed by retailer private labels. Second, regarding the choice of sales models, after the introduction of private labels, the agency model can facilitate a consensus between the two parties. In the resale model, as the production cost efficiency increases, the platform should consider introducing a high-quality private label. Finally, if the e-commerce platform introduces a private label, it needs to adjust the agency rate and product quality to reach a consensus in the agency model.
While this paper addresses the sales model and the strategy of introducing private labels, it also presents certain limitations. Future studies could explore the following areas: First, this paper presumes that consumers perceive the quality of the manufacturer’s brand and private labels equally, yet some consumers may hold biases against private labels in reality, so future research could account for consumer heterogeneity. Second, the paper only accounts for a manufacturer-centric supply chain structure, though e-commerce platform-centric structures also exist. Third, the paper does not consider the greenness level of products from the e-commerce platform, although several platforms have joined forces with third-party manufacturers to launch green products, such as Amazon with its eco-friendly brand.

Key words: green manufacturer, resale and agency models, private label, relative quality, production cost efficiency