Existing research rarely provides an integrated analysis of the interaction between remanufacturing models and platform sales strategies. To address this underexplored issue, this paper aims to explore the strategic interplay and joint decision-making mechanism that enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to optimize their choice of remanufacturing models among in-house, outsourced and authorized remanufacturing, while simultaneously determining optimal online sales strategies between agency and resale within the platform economy.
This study constructs a single-cycle supply chain involving an OEM, a remanufacturer and an e-commerce platform. Using consumer utility theory and Stackelberg game models, it systematically analyzes the impact of different combinations of remanufacturing models and platform sales strategies on product pricing, production decisions and the profits of supply chain members.
The results indicate that the choice of remanufacturing model is influenced by the cost structure of new and remanufactured products, as well as the platform’s commission rate. OEMs tend to prefer outsourced or authorized remanufacturing under resale strategies, while in-house remanufacturing is often the superior choice under agency strategies. Additionally, the cost of remanufactured products and market dynamics significantly affect the profits of supply chain members, with profit distribution between platforms and OEMs differing across sales strategies.
This paper is the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to comprehensively consider the interaction between remanufacturing models and platform sales strategies, offering a more complete analytical framework. It reveals the specific conditions and actionable pathways through which OEMs can maximize profits and increase market share in the platform economy by optimizing both remanufacturing and sales strategies.
