Optimal Strategies for Manufacturers with Different Online Distribution Modes in Green E-Commerce Supply Chain

Online distribution is highly unpredictable for supply chain participants, owing to the fast and furious emergence of green e-commerce. Determining the best selection of the online channel has always been a major concern for manufacturers. In this study, we create a stylized model of a green e-commerce supply chain (ECSC) system, which is composed of a conventional manufacturer, a green manufacturer, and an e-commerce platform (ECP). To investigate the pricing, production, and competitive decision problems of members under different distribution modes. The findings demonstrate that the intensification of consumer environmental consciousness may compensate for the low functional quality of green products and encourage their growth. Specifically, when the green manufacturer decides on the agent selling mode (ASM), if consumers generally prefer green products, the conventional manufacturer may adopt the reselling mode (RSM) to make certain the market leader of the conventional product. Interestingly, green marketing on the platform will encourage the increase of both the wholesale price and the selling price of the green product, while those of the conventional product will decrease. This is true regardless of manufacturers’ preferreddistribution modes. Additionally, there is a win-win circumstance when choosing the distribution mode from the standpoint of member profits