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Category–level drivers of the market share–rank power law relationship

Young Han Bae (Department of Marketing, Penn State University, Greater Allegheny, McKeesport, Pennsylvania, USA)
Thomas S. Gruca (Department of Marketing, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA)
Hyunwoo Lim (School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada)
Gary J. Russell (Department of Marketing, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA)

European Journal of Marketing

ISSN: 0309-0566

Article publication date: 26 June 2024

Issue publication date: 25 September 2024

117

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze variations in the parameters of the market share–rank power law across consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a two-level hierarchical linear model to examine the relationships between category-level variables and the parameters of the market share–rank power law in 790 CPG categories.

Findings

The slope of the market share–rank power law is shallower – indicating more equal market shares – in categories of high importance to retailers and those with high levels of promotional activity or high-volume purchases. Higher levels of market share inequality are associated with categories with high overall prices.

Research limitations/implications

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to show the systematic influence of category characteristics on the relationship between brands’ market shares and their ranks, thus, identifying a key moderator for this important empirical generalization in marketing.

Practical implications

While market leadership may be a desirable goal for many brands, the corresponding market share at the top brand does vary. Moreover, the share premium for being number one in the category (gap between the top and other highly ranked brands) can be greatly affected by retailers’ strategies. In addition, the slope of the power law has desirable qualities as a measure of market concentration. However, the empirical study shows that category characteristics must be considered when analyzing differences in concentration across categories or time.

Originality/value

While other studies document variations in the market share–rank power law relationship, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first that models these variations as a function of observable category characteristics. The comprehensive nature of the data demonstrates the universality of the market share–rank power law relationship across CPG categories in the USA.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Leon Blackshaw, Mallory Charpentier, Michael Cobb, Caroline Heylman and Sharat Mathur for providing them with the IRI (Information Resources Inc.) data sets for this research.

Citation

Bae, Y.H., Gruca, T.S., Lim, H. and Russell, G.J. (2024), "Category–level drivers of the market share–rank power law relationship", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58 No. 6, pp. 1653-1675. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-05-2022-0360

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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