An Inventory Model for Deteriorating Items Having Price, Stock and Advertisement Dependent Demand under Credit Period ()
1. Introduction
In inventory management, managing inventory for deteriorating items such as fresh salads, organic juices, natural cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and frozen meals has become increasingly important due to their limited shelf life and dynamic market demand. These products often follow a two-parameter Weibull-type deterioration process, where their quality or quantity declines at an accelerating rate over time. To effectively manage such items, businesses frequently adopt a two-echelon inventory model involving a supplier and a retailer. Financial strategies, particularly two-level trade credit policies, add another layer of complexity and opportunity where the supplier offers credit to the retailer, who may in turn extend partial credit to customers requiring an upfront payment and allowing a delay for the remaining amount, thereby encouraging purchases while managing risk. In today’s competitive market, selling price is a critical factor that influences customer purchasing decisions. Setting the right selling price is vital for a product’s success, as it directly affects both profitability and demand. For instance, strategic pricing of organic juice can lead to significant shifts in customer demand. Typically, a higher price tends to decrease demand, while a lower price can have the contrary effect. Finding a balance is key to ensure both customer satisfaction and business profitability. Advertising plays a vital role in building brand awareness and connecting with customers. It helps customers comprehend how product and service can satisfy their needs and desires. For instance, increased advertising of a nutritional supplement can lead to significant shifts in customer demand. A well-crafted advertisement has the potential to influence consumer purchasing decisions, ultimately leading to increased sales and revenue.
2. Literature Review
Pankaj Narang et al. [1] developed a model for a deteriorating item under price, stock and advertisement dependent demand. De et al. [2] created an inventory model under inflation and partial blacklogging for deteriorating goods with stock and price-dependent demand. Nita Shah et al. [3] established an inventory model under credit financing with reliability and inflation for deteriorating items when demand depends on the stock displayed. Sunil Tiwari et al. [4] developed a model under two-level trade credit for imperfect quality and deteriorating items. Y.-F. Huang [5] designed a model under trade credit financing by considering retailer’s ordering policies. Abubakar Musa et al. [6] established inventory policies under delay in Payments, for delayed deteriorating items. Nita Shah and Vaghela [7] generated an EPQ model under two-level trade credit financing for deteriorating items where demand is selling price dependent. Mamta Kumari and De [8] created an EOQ model for deteriorating items to analyze retailers’ optimal strategy under trade credit and return policy with nonlinear demand. Monalisha Tripathy et al. [9] obtained an EOQ inventory model under progressive credit for a non-instantaneous deteriorating item with constant demand. Ummeferva et al. [10] established an inventory model under greening degree dependent demand and reliability under a two-level trade credit policy. Bhaskar et al. [11] presented an inventory model for perishable items when the demand rate is selling price and time-dependent underprice discount and delay in payment. Aggarwal and Jaggy [12] introduced ordering policies for deterioration items. Mukharjee and Mahata [13] formed an inventory model for optimal replenishment and credit policy under two-level trade credit policies when demand depends on time and credit period. Alaa Fouad Mommena et al. [14] designed a two-storage model where holding cost is time-varying and quantity discounts are considered with a trade credit policy. Singh et al. [15] generated an EOQ model for deterioration items where the deterioration rate is a function of preservation technology under trade credit policy and preservation technology with stock-dependent demand. Mahata [16] invented the EPQ model for deterioration items, where demand and replenishment rate both are constant under a partial trade credit policy. Jaggi et al. [17] built an optimal replenishment credit policy under a two-level credit period. Chuan Zhang et al. [18] designed retailer’s optimal credit policy at risk of customer default under partial trade credit where demand is a positive exponential function of customer’s credit period. Santosh Gite [19] developed EOQ Model for deteriorating items with a quadratic time-dependent demand rate under permissible delay in payment.
Extensive research has been conducted on deteriorating items and trade credit under various demand scenarios. However, no prior study has addressed deterioration as a Weibull distribution within a two-level trade credit framework where demand depends on selling price, stock and advertisement.
The objective of this study is to develop a mathematical model that captures these interdependencies for deteriorating items under price and advertisement-dependent demand within a two-level trade credit framework. The model seeks to determine the optimal selling price, replenishment cycle length, and total cost, helping businesses enhance profitability, reduce waste due to spoilage, and maintain service efficiency so that the retailer can better manage their financial expenses. A numerical example supported by sensitivity analysis is included to illustrate the model’s practical application and assess how changes in key parameters affect outcomes.
3. Notations and Assumptions
3.1. Notations
A: Frequency of advertisement
a: Initial demand parameter
b: price elasticity index
c: parameter related to stock level
: The shape parameter of advertisement
: Deterioration parameter
: Deterioration parameter
S: The initial inventory level at t = 0
M: Retailer’s credit period offered by the supplier in years
N: Customer’s credit period offered by the retailer in the years
Co: Ordering cost
Cd: Cost of deterioration per unit item
Ch: Holding cost per unit item per unit time
CA: Advertisement cost
Cp: Purchase cost per unit item
Ip: Interest paid by the retailer to the supplier
Ie: Interest earned by the retailer
t1: Time at which deterioration starts
T: Total time of inventory cycle
I(t): The stock level at any time t where 0 ≤ t ≤ T
TC: Total cost per unit time
3.2. Assumptions
The demand rate
is impacted by the frequency of advertisement (A), selling price (p) and inventory level
, i.e.,
where a, b, c, γ and A are integers.
1) Deterioration is taken as a Weibull distribution.
2) Shortages are not permitted.
3) The infinite planning horizon is considered.
4) Two-level trade credit policies are implemented in this model according to this policy, the supplier offers a trade credit period to the retailer and retailer’s offers a partial trade credit period to the customer.
4. Mathematical Formulation
The inventory level
decreases due to demand during the period [0, t1] and in the period [t1, T], the stock level gradually decreases due to deterioration and customer’s demand.
The differential equations of the inventory level are expressed as follows:
,
(1)
,
(2)
Under conditions
at
;
at
Solve Equations (1) and (2) to obtain the following solution of I(t)
,
(3)
,
(4)
Now considering the continuity of
at
we get the initial stock as
(5)
The total order quantity for the retailer is obtained as Q = S; therefore, the value of Q is
(6)
The different costs associated with the model are evaluated as follows:
Ordering cost (OC):
(7)
Advertisement Cost:
(8)
Purchasing Cost (PC):
(9)
Sales revenue (SR):
(10)
Deterioration Cost (DC)
(11)
Holding cost:
(12)
Trade Credit
Scenario 1:
In this scenario, the credit period supplied by the supplier to a retailer is less than the period supplied by the retailer to the customer.
Case I:
In this case, the interest paid and the interest earned are calculated as follows
(13)
(14)
The total cost is obtained as

(15)
Case II:
In this case, the interest paid and the interest earned are calculated as follows
(16)
(17)
The total cost is obtained as
(18)
Scenario 2:
In this scenario, the credit period supplied by the supplier to the retailer is greater than the period supplied by the retailer to the customer.
Case III:
In this case, the interest paid and the interest earned are calculated as follows
(19)
(20)
The total cost is obtained as
(21)
Case IV:
In this case, the interest paid and the interest earned are calculated as follows
(22)
(23)
The total cost is obtained as
(24)
The retailer’s total cost in each case is the function of two variables, T and p. To minimize total cost with respect to selling price p and cycle Time T, the necessary conditions are
and
where
The critical point (T*, p*) can be found by solving
and
simultaneously for each case and for minimising cost, the following condition should be satisfied for the critical point.
and
Using this approach, we calculate the total cost in each case for the numerical example provided in the following section
5. Numerical Illustration
We consider the following parameters
Case I:
A = 5, a = 20, b = 0.5, c = 1, t1 = 0.3, α = 0.1, β = 0.3, γ = 0.3, M = 0.041, N = 0.08200, Ip = 0.15, Ie = 0.10; Co = 50, Ch = 0.5, Cp = 10, Ca = 3, Cd = 1. Then the optimal solution is as follows
P* = 99.3572, T = 3.1301, TC = 13526.00
Case II:
A = 5, a = 20, b = 0.5, c = 1, t1 = 0.3, α = 0.1, β = 0.3, γ = 0.3, M = 0.3013, N = 0.3150, Ip = 0.15, Ie = 0.10; Co = 50, Ch = 0.5, Cp = 10, Ca = 3, Cd = 1. Then the optimal solution is as follows
P* = 124.7984, T = 3.3643, TC = 24029.2613.
Case III:
A = 5, a = 20, b = 0.5, c = 1, t1 = 0.3, α = 0.1, β = 0.3, γ = 0.3, M = 0.082, N = 0.041, Ip = 0.15, Ie = 0.10; Co = 50, Ch = 0.5, Cp = 10, Ca = 3, Cd = 1. Then the optimal solution is as follows
P* = 95.7250, T = 3.0627, TC = 11571.5496.
Case IV:
A = 5, a = 20, b = 0.5, c = 1, t1 = 0.3, α = 0.1, β = 0.3, γ = 0.3, M = 0.3150, N = 0.3013, Ip = 0.15, Ie = 0.10; Co = 50, Ch = 0.5, Cp = 10, Ca = 3, Cd = 1. Then the optimal solution is as follows
P* = 136.3396, T = 3.5759, TC = 34159.16940.
6. Sensitivity Analysis
To study the effect of the changes in the numerical values of different parameters on the optimal solution of the current inventory model, we have performed the sensitivity analysis by changing the numerical values of each parameter while keeping the initial values of the remaining parameters the same, which is given in Table 1.
Table 1. A sensitivity analysis is performed for case I, changing the inventory parameters.
Parameter |
change |
P* |
T* |
TC |
a |
18 |
61.6195 |
2.5559 |
2373.781777 |
19 |
78.1417 |
2.8212 |
5796.249698 |
20 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
21 |
127.0256 |
3.4945 |
30670.765140 |
22 |
163.8926 |
3.9366 |
71355.780808 |
b |
0.46 |
82.6318 |
2.6400 |
4484.140550 |
0.48 |
90.1509 |
2.8668 |
7770.253752 |
0.50 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.52 |
110.7293 |
3.4381 |
23421.131722 |
0.54 |
124.9709 |
3.8038 |
41766.364551 |
c |
0.98 |
89.7755 |
2.9548 |
8766.470768 |
0.99 |
94.3635 |
3.0394 |
10830.789984 |
1.00 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
1.01 |
104.8128 |
3.2277 |
16711.432050 |
1.02 |
110.7966 |
3.3330 |
20907.307624 |
α |
0.06 |
78.1837 |
2.7567 |
4875.384276 |
0.08 |
87.6601 |
2.9258 |
8011.489815 |
0.10 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.12 |
114.1661 |
3.3804 |
23267.810164 |
0.14 |
133.5106 |
3.6951 |
42449.602196 |
β |
0.1 |
118.4523 |
3.4811 |
26567.408276 |
0.2 |
107.1571 |
3.2763 |
18077.875969 |
0.3 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.4 |
93.7967 |
3.0225 |
10640.427401 |
0.5 |
89.7690 |
2.9421 |
8874.390582 |
γ |
0.28 |
76.7511 |
2.6743 |
4323.214688 |
0.29 |
86.7879 |
2.8819 |
7548.352292 |
0.30 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.31 |
115.4566 |
3.4317 |
24673.650031 |
0.32 |
136.6726 |
3.8074 |
47666.071993 |
t1 |
0.26 |
83.6721 |
2.7699 |
6476.398664 |
0.28 |
91.3595 |
2.9495 |
9461.859281 |
0.30 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.32 |
107.7636 |
3.3139 |
18667.785908 |
0.34 |
116.7001 |
3.5030 |
25610.945398 |
30 |
139.8663 |
3.8136 |
48121.293864 |
40 |
116.2472 |
3.4252 |
24364.140586 |
Co |
50 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
60 |
86.7263 |
2.8966 |
7828.695206 |
70 |
76.9535 |
2.7072 |
4737.434016 |
Cd |
0.6 |
99.4060 |
3.1310 |
13451.013916 |
0.8 |
99.3816 |
3.1305 |
13437.671733 |
1.0 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
1.2 |
99.3329 |
3.1296 |
13412.000943 |
1.4 |
99.3085 |
3.1292 |
13399.635540 |
Ch |
0.1 |
114.1888 |
3.3901 |
22658.762978 |
0.3 |
106.3041 |
3.2535 |
17341.523205 |
0.5 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.7 |
93.1921 |
3.0178 |
10492.600953 |
0.9 |
87.6850 |
2.9150 |
8264.487153 |
Ca |
1 |
116.2472 |
3.4252 |
24364.140586 |
2 |
107.1497 |
3.2684 |
17931.200832 |
3 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
4 |
92.6140 |
3.0070 |
10193.764954 |
5 |
86.7263 |
2.8966 |
7828.695206 |
Cp |
9.0 |
65.8917 |
2.4282 |
2069.430046 |
9.5 |
79.8322 |
2.7328 |
5274.082822 |
10.0 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
10.5 |
128.0032 |
3.6633 |
36281.439718 |
11.0 |
173.0796 |
4.4271 |
111917.335461 |
Ip |
0.13 |
115.9857 |
3.3888 |
23185.470925 |
0.14 |
107.1085 |
3.2520 |
17526.974559 |
0.15 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.16 |
92.5318 |
3.0207 |
10393.342691 |
0.17 |
86.4771 |
2.9219 |
8113.504528 |
Ie |
0.8 |
101.4209 |
3.1676 |
14553.559776 |
0.9 |
100.3788 |
3.1487 |
13976.252836 |
0.10 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.11 |
98.3554 |
3.1118 |
12899.287997 |
0.12 |
97.3729 |
3.0938 |
12397.003606 |
M |
0.02739 |
102.4244 |
3.1859 |
15132.486979 |
0.03287 |
101.2505 |
3.1646 |
14462.096251 |
0.04109 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.04657 |
98.4373 |
3.1132 |
12936.607209 |
0.05205 |
97.3575 |
3.0934 |
12381.282146 |
N |
0.07123 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.07671 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.08200 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.08767 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
0.09315 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
A |
4.50 |
78.5951 |
2.7107 |
4798.331111 |
4.75 |
88.2968 |
2.9109 |
8109.469642 |
5.00 |
99.3572 |
3.1301 |
13425.289882 |
5.25 |
112.6870 |
3.3823 |
22454.874872 |
5.50 |
128.2019 |
3.6630 |
37420.137469 |
6.1. Observations from Table 1
1) As a increases, the selling price p rises significantly. The total cycle length T also increases with a, and the total cost exhibits exponential growth.
2) As b increases, the selling price p* rises consistently. The total cycle length T* also increases, and the total cost shows a rapid increase with increasing b.
3) As c increases, the selling price p* increases steadily, the total cycle length T* increases slightly, and the total cost grows significantly.
4) As α increases, the selling price p* shows significant growth, the total cycle length T* increases moderately, and the total cost experiences exponential growth.
5) As β increases, the selling price p* decreases, the total cycle length T* decreases, and the total cost also decreases significantly.
6) As γ increases, the selling price p* increases significantly, the total cycle length T* grows steadily, and the total cost shows exponential growth.
7) As t1 increases, the selling price p* and the total cycle length T* rise consistently, and the total cost grows rapidly.
8) As Co increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T* and the total cost decrease.
9) As Cd increases, there is a slight decrease in the selling price P*, the total cycle length T, and the total cost.
10) As Ch increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost decrease steadily.
11) As Ca increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost decrease.
12) As Cp increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost grow significantly.
13) As Ip increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost decrease consistently.
14) As Ie increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost decrease slightly.
15) As M increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost decrease gradually.
16) No significant changes in the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost are observed as N varies.
17) As A increases, the selling price P*, the total cycle length T*, and the total cost grow significantly.
Table 2. The feasible solution to the inventory problem.
Cases |
M |
N |
t1 |
T |
p |
Total Cost (TC) |
Case I:
|
0.04166 |
0.08219 |
0.3 |
3.1338 |
99.5609 |
13526.0000 |
Case II:
|
0.3013 |
0.3150 |
0.3 |
3.3643 |
124.7984 |
24029.2613 |
Case III:
|
0.08219 |
0.04166 |
0.3 |
3.0627 |
95.7250 |
11571.5496 |
Case IV:
|
0.3150 |
0.3013 |
0.3 |
3.5759 |
136.3396 |
34159.16940 |
6.2. Observations from Table 2
Case I:
The supplier offers customers a shorter credit period than the retailer does. This implies that the retailer must settle their dues with the supplier earlier than when they collect payments from customers.
The time at which deterioration starts is significantly later than both M and N. This allows sufficient time to sell products before deterioration impacts inventory.
The total cycle length is shorter than in other cases, helping reduce holding costs. With a moderate selling price, the total cost is relatively low.
Case I demonstrates a cost-efficient setup where the trade credit periods, cycle length, and selling price are balanced to minimize total costs.
Case II:
The retailer’s credit period from the supplier is longer than when deterioration starts. Additionally, the retailer offers customers an even longer credit period. This extended credit arrangement increases financial risks.
Deterioration starts early in the cycle relative to credit periods, meaning part of the inventory might deteriorate before being sold.
The total cycle length is relatively long, increasing holding costs. The high selling price leads to a significantly higher total cost, making this configuration the most expensive.
Case II highlights inefficiencies in aligning credit periods with deterioration timing, leading to the highest total cost.
Case III:
The customer’s credit period is shorter than the retailer’s credit period from the supplier. This favorable arrangement ensures that the retailer collects payments from customers before having to pay the supplier.
Deterioration starts well after both credit periods, reducing the risk of holding deteriorated inventory before sales.
A relatively shorter cycle length and a low selling price result in the second-lowest total cost.
Case III is the most cost-efficient configuration resulting from its optimal alignment of credit periods, inventory management, and selling price.
Case IV:
The customer’s credit period is shorter than the retailer’s credit period from the supplier. This alignment is favorable, but the close proximity of N and M creates a smaller buffer.
Deterioration starts early, before the customer credit period ends, increasing the risk of holding deteriorated inventory before payments are collected.
The total cycle length is the longest among the cases, significantly increasing holding costs. The high selling price contributes to the second-highest total cost
Case IV shows inefficiencies due to a longer cycle length and a higher selling price
7. Conclusions
In this paper, we have developed an EOQ model for deteriorating items with a two-level trade credit period and multifactor dependent demand where demand is influenced by price, stock and advertising. We present the optimal strategy to minimize cost. As in this model, a two-level trade credit policy is considered, so this model is more beneficial for retailers to make their inventory strategy to minimize cost and maximize their profit. As a result, the retailer can better manage their financial expenses. Furthermore, by leveraging insights from demand patterns such as boosting advertising during peak seasons or dynamically adjusting prices, retailers can influence purchasing behavior and maximize the turnover of deteriorating items. Implementing an integrated inventory model enables retailers to determine optimal order quantities, pricing, promotional schedules, and stock levels while minimizing losses from spoilage and stock outs. Ultimately, this model empowers retailers to maximize profitability, maintain product freshness, and respond more effectively to market trends, all within the constraints of supplier agreements and product perishability. The impact of varying parameter values on the solution has been analyzed through sensitivity analysis. It is observed that changes in the value of price sensitivity in demand function (b), advertisement cost (CA), ordering cost C0, retailer’s credit period (M) as well as holding cost (ch) and purchase cost (Cp) lead to significant result on cycle length, selling price and total cost.
The scope of this work can be expanded in the following directions. One possible extension could be allowing shortages; one could consider time deterioration rate and preservation technology to reduce deterioration in future research.