Sales and Consumer Inventory

44 Pages Posted: 11 Jul 2002 Last revised: 23 Sep 2022

See all articles by Igal Hendel

Igal Hendel

Northwestern University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Aviv Nevo

Northwestern University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Date Written: July 2002

Abstract

Temporary price reductions (sales) are common for many goods and naturally result in large increase in the quantity sold. We explore whether the data support the hypothesis that these increases are, at least partly, due to dynamic consumer behavior: at low prices consumers stockpile for future consumption. This effect, if present, renders standard static demand estimates misleading, which has broad economic implications. We construct a dynamic model of consumer choice, use it to derive testable predictions and test these predictions using two years of scanner data on the purchasing behavior of a panel of households. The results support the existence of household stockpiling behavior and suggest that static demand estimates, which neglect dynamics, may overestimate price sensitiveness by up to a factor of 2 to 6.

Suggested Citation

Hendel, Igal E. and Nevo, Aviv, Sales and Consumer Inventory (July 2002). NBER Working Paper No. w9048, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=318843

Igal E. Hendel (Contact Author)

Northwestern University - Department of Economics ( email )

2003 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Aviv Nevo

Northwestern University - Department of Economics ( email )

2003 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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