Rosa prissättning - En kvantitativ studie om effekterna av könsbaserad prisdiskriminering

Sammanfattning: The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs conducted a first-ever study of the gender pricing of goods in New York city across multiple industries in December 2015. The study showed that equivalent products marketed towards women often are more expensive than products marketed towards men. This phenomenon, known as pink pricing, referring to different retail pricing practices where products targeted towards women are more expensive than equivalent products targeted towards men, has reached attention in international media. However little is known about the consequences when a retailer conducts a pink pricing strategy. Research on this issue is therefore necessary to help retailers and policy makers to better understand the consequences of pink pricing techniques. This paper examines consumer effects both in terms of direct product evaluation as well as an evaluation of the product brand and the retailer. Two quantitative studies were conducted to show how consumers react when personal care products targeted towards women are priced the same as or more expensive than an equivalent product for men in an online setting. The results indicate that pink pricing methods only generate negative product-, brand- and retailer effects. Consumers perceive the price as unfair, experience a higher degree of reactance (dislike the retailer that offers the pink prices) and an increased willingness to spread negative information about the retailer. Subsequently these are variables that can damage brand value and, in turn, generate lower revenue. The pink pricing strategy is questioned as a sustainable profit maximization strategy for retailers.