In the context of consumer surplus and willingness to pay, how does the price set by a firm affect the location (place) where its product is sold?

• A. Pricing has no impact on place decisions since location is determined only by supply chain logistics.
• B. Consumer surplus is unrelated to pricing and place decisions.
• C. A lower price increases consumer surplus, which may allow the firm to expand to more locations where consumers are willing to buy.
• D. A higher price always leads to more locations because it increases the firm's profit margin.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of consumer surplus, which is the difference between what consumers are willing to pay for a good and the actual price they pay. Consumer surplus increases when the price decreases, making the product more attractive to a larger number of consumers.
2. Step 2: Recognize that the firm's pricing decision affects demand. A lower price can increase demand by attracting more consumers who find the product affordable, thus expanding the potential market size.
3. Step 3: Connect the increase in demand from a lower price to the firm's decision on where to sell the product. Higher demand can justify expanding to more locations because more consumers are willing to buy at the lower price.
4. Step 4: Contrast this with a higher price, which may reduce consumer surplus and demand, potentially limiting the number of locations where the product can be sold profitably.
5. Step 5: Conclude that pricing influences the geographic reach of the product by affecting consumer surplus and demand, which in turn impacts the firm's decision on the number and location of sales points.