Skip to main content
Log in

The Benefits of Bundling Strategies

  • Published:
Schmalenbach Business Review Aims and scope

Abstract

This paper analyzes the effects of three bundling strategies — unbundling, mixed bundling, and pure bundling — on profit and sales, using a simulation study based on a model by Schmalensee (1984). The analysis shows under what conditions which strategy is the most profitable, how large the profit and sales differentials are for each strategy, and what characteristics the corresponding price structures have. Based on our results, we explain the differences observed in the study and derive a set of implications for practical price structuring.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature

  • Adams, William James/Yellen, Janet L. (1976), Commodity Bundling and the Burden of Monopoly, in: Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 90, pp. 475–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakos, Yannis/Brynjolfsson, Erik (1996), “Bundling Information Goods: Pricing, Profits and Efficiency”, http://www.gsm.uci.edu/∼bakos/big/big.html (Version: (19.02.1998)).

  • Bauer, Hans H./Herrmann, Andreas/Jung, Sabine (1996), Wettbewerbsvorteile durch Preisbündelung, in: Marktforschung and Management, Vol. 40, pp. 85–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dansby, Robert E./Conrad, Cecilia (1984), Commodity Bundling, in: American Economic Review, Vol. 74, pp. 377–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fürderer, Ralph (1996), Option and Component Bundling under Demand Risk.

  • Hanson, Ward/Martin, R. Kipp (1990), Optimal Bundle Pricing, in: Management Science, Vol. 36, pp. 155–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrmann, Andreas/Bauer, Hans H. (1996), Ein Ansatz zur Preisbündelung auf der Basis der “prospect-Theorie”, in: zfbf, Vol. 48, pp. 675–694.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hull, John C. (1993), Options, Futures, and other Derivative Securities.

  • Lewbel, Arthur (1985), Bundling of Substitutes or Complements, in: International Journal of Organization, Vol. 3, pp. 101–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lilien, Gary L./Rangaswamy, Arvind (1998), Marketing Engineering: Computer-Assisted Marketing Analysis and Planning.

  • McAfee, R. Preston/McMillan, John/Whinston, Michael D. (1989), Multi-Product Monopoly and Commodity Bundling, and Correlation of Values, in: Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 114, pp. 371–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nazareth, J. L. (1994), The Newton and Cauchy Perspective on Computational Nonlinear Optimization, in: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Review, Vol. 26, pp. 215–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paun, Dorothy (1993), When to Bundle or Unbundle Products, in: Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 22, pp. 29–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pigou, A. C. (1929), The Economics of Welfare.

  • Salinger, Michael A. (1995), A Graphical Analysis of Bundling, in: Journal of Business, Vol. 68, pp. 85–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmalensee, Richard (1984), Gaussian Demand and Commodity Bundling, in: Journal of Business, Vol. 57, pp. 211–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, Hermann (1992), Preisbündelung, in: Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft, Vol. 62, pp. 1213–1235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skiera, Bernd (1999), Mengenbezogene Preisdifferenzierung bei Dienstleistungen.

  • Skiera, Bernd/Revenstorff, Inken (1999), Auktionen als Instrument zur Erhebung von Zahlungsbereitschaften, in: zfbf Vol. 51, pp. 224–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tacke, Georg (dy1989), Nichtlineare Preisbildung: Theorie, Messung und Anwendung.

  • Wübker, Georg (1998), Preisbündelung: Formen, Theorie, Messung und Umsetzung.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Torsten Olderog.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Olderog, T., Skiera, B. The Benefits of Bundling Strategies. Schmalenbach Bus Rev 52, 137–159 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03396614

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03396614

Navigation