Blockchain Technology Adoption Strategy In Dual-channel Supply Chain

Amid the rapid development of information technology and e-commerce,supply chain management faces increasingly complex challenges.Blockchain technology enables real-time information sharing,data traceability,and tamper resistance.In the field of supply chain,the application of blockchain technology helps improve the transparency of product information,enabling consumers to have a comprehensive understanding of products,stimulating their purchase desire,and effectively addressing the issue of information asymmetry in supply chain management.However,the use of blockchain technology also introduces the risk of consumer privacy data leakage,which severely affects consumer trust in enterprise products and reduces their intention to purchase.Meanwhile,manufacturers,in their digital transformation,have realized that relying solely on traditional retailers is not the only option.They have started adopting a dual-channel sales model that combines online and offline channels to enhance sales immediacy.Nevertheless,traditional retail channels remain indispensable.Therefore,manufacturers and retailers need to combine blockchain technology with appropriate sales strategies to maintain competitiveness.This study employs game theory to construct a dual-channel supply chain model with manufacturers as leaders and retailers as followers,based on the background of a dual-channel supply chain and blockchain.The study investigates the strategies of manufacturers and retailers adopting blockchain technology under four different scenarios.Firstly,the study identifies optimal pricing and profits for manufacturers and retailers when using or not using blockchain technology.It reveals that consumer privacy concerns reduce pricing and profits for manufacturers and retailers when adopting blockchain technology,as it lowers consumer estimation of products and subsequently decreases consumer demand.However,when both parties use blockchain technology,retailers are not affected by consumer privacy concerns.Secondly,the study analyzes the equilibrium strategies of manufacturers and retailers adopting blockchain technology under different scenarios and finds that adopting blockchain technology is not always beneficial in all cases.When consumer privacy concerns are low and there is a high improvement in product information,manufacturers and retailers tend to adopt blockchain technology because the enhancement in product information increases consumer willingness to purchase,surpassing the costs arising from consumer privacy concerns.However,when consumer privacy concerns are high and the improvement in product information is low,manufacturers and retailers choose to forgo blockchain technology.When consumer privacy concerns and product information improvement are at moderate levels,manufacturers and retailers make decisions on whether to adopt blockchain technology based on specific circumstances.Finally,the study examines the impact of blockchain technology adoption on consumer surplus and finds that the effect of manufacturers and retailers using blockchain technology on consumer surplus exhibits a threshold effect.Consumer surplus increases when consumer privacy concerns reach a certain level.Furthermore,the study considers factors such as the power structure of the dual-channel supply chain,the cost of using blockchain technology,and the negative impact of product information improvement on the conclusions in the model’s extension section.These factors do not affect the main findings,demonstrating the robustness of the research conclusions.