Publication Type

PhD Dissertation

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

10-2025

Abstract

With the rapid expansion of cross-border e-commerce, platform sellers increasingly adopt diverse price formatsto influence consumer decision-making. In this context, consumers’ perceptions of and responses to price information have become a pivotal issue in understanding online purchase behavior. Using Amazon as the research setting, this study employs a dynamic panel model with monthly product-level data spanning January 2024 to June 2025 to investigate how different price formats—such as Prime-exclusive pricing and coupon mechanisms—affect consumers’ online purchase intentions when the out-ofpocket price is held constant. Furthermore, the moderating effect of promotional events is systematically examined.

Departing from prior research that largely emphasizes absolute price levels, this study focuses on how the format of pricing shapes consumer cognition and purchasing behavior under conditions of equivalent out-of-pocket prices. Four formats are distinguished: direct retail pricing, Prime-exclusive pricing, coupon-based pricing, and partitioned pricing (where the product price and shipping fee are listed separately). Empirical results demonstrate that, when consumers face the same out-of-pocket price, partitioned pricing generates the strongest purchase intention, followed by coupon-based pricing and direct retail pricing, whereas Prime-exclusive pricing yields the weakest purchase intention. Moreover, the relative effects of these four formats remain largely consistent across both promotional and non-promotional periods.

Theoretically, this study is anchored in Transaction Utility Theory, supplemented by Partitioned Pricing Theory and Information Processing Theory, to explain the observed behavioral patterns. It reveals the mechanisms through which consumers respond to different price formats, perceptions of price fairness, and contextual cues. The findings not only enrich the empirical evidence on the impact of price formats on consumer purchase intentions but also provide actionable implications for platform sellers in designing effective pricing strategies.

Keywords

pricing format, out-of-pocket price, online purchase intention, Amazon, promotional events, partitioned pricing

Degree Awarded

Doctor of Business Administration (Accounting and Finance)

Discipline

Accounting | E-Commerce

Supervisor(s)

CHENG, Qiang

First Page

1

Last Page

161

Publisher

Singapore Management University

City or Country

Singapore

Copyright Owner and License

Author

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