mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Assortment Control Unlocks the Value of Dynamic Pricing in Mixed Last-Mile Delivery

arXiv 2609.13539 ↗First posted 11 Sep 2026math.OCcited by 1

Not on the map. Why?

Abstract (arXiv)

The growth of e-commerce has intensified the need for last-mile delivery systems that can jointly manage customer choice and operational efficiency. We study the Dynamic Offering and Pricing of Mixed Delivery Options problem, in which a logistics service provider dynamically selects and prices attended home-delivery time slots and out-of-home pickup options for sequentially arriving customers. Each decision affects immediate revenue, customer acceptance, and the route-dependent fulfillment cost realized at the end of the booking horizon. We formulate DOPMDO as a finite-horizon Markov decision process and propose State-Value Anchored Pricing via Approximate Dynamic Programming. The method learns a continuation-value approximation on an aggregate state representation of the mixed-delivery system and uses accepted-versus-rejected value differences to estimate option-level opportunity costs. These opportunity costs are embedded in an anchored trust-region pricing problem around a calibrated fine-static benchmark. Computational experiments on the real-world Seattle instance show that SVAP--ADP increases mean episode profit by 7.0% relative to current practice (95% CI: 6.7--7.2%), primarily by reducing terminal fulfillment cost while maintaining a stable home--locker--opt-out mix. Assortment-control experiments show that dynamic pricing is most effective when the menu exposes operationally valuable locker alternatives, with richer candidate pools delivering substantially larger gains than restricted nearest-locker menus. These results indicate that anticipatory pricing and assortment control are complementary: pricing steers customers toward lower-cost options, but the menu determines whether high-value consolidation opportunities are available in the first place.

Key facts. Cited by 1 paper in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). First posted on arXiv 11 Sep 2026.

Builds on

No reference list yet.

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2026: 1.

1 paper.