Distribution Channels

By:
Manu Dhunna
12PGP027
Indian Institute of Management Raipur

 Firstly, it affects sales - if it's not available it
can't be sold. Most customers won't wait
 Secondly, distribution affects profits and
competitiveness since it can contribute up to 50
percent of the final selling price of some goods
 Thirdly, delivery is seen as part of the product
influencing customer satisfaction. Distribution
and its associated customer service play a big
part in relationship marketing

12/7/2012 Indian Institute of Management Raipur 2

 The path through which goods and services travel from the vendor to
the consumer or payments for those products travel from the consumer to
the vendor.

 The chain of businesses or intermediaries through which a good or service
passes until it reaches the end consumer.

 An organized network of agencies and institutions which in combination
perform all the functions required to link producers with end customers to
accomplish the marketing task.

 The distribution channel determines how materials or services are sold
and how they are distributed to customers, for
example, retail, wholesale, self-collection.

 Channel 1 contains two stages between
producer and consumer - a wholesaler and
a retailer.
 A wholesaler typically buys and stores large
quantities of several producers’ goods and
then breaks into bulk deliveries to supply
retailers with smaller quantities.
 For small retailers with limited order
quantities, the use of wholesalers makes
economic sense.

 Channel 2 contains one intermediary. In
consumer markets, this is typically a retailer.
 The consumer electrical goods market in the
UK is typical of this arrangement whereby
producers such as Sony, Panasonic, Canon etc.
sell their goods directly to large retailers such
as Comet, Tesco and Amazon which then sell
onto the final consumers.


 Channel 3 is called a "direct-marketing"
channel, since it has no intermediary levels. In
this case the manufacturer sells directly to
customers.
 An example of a direct marketing channel
would be a factory outlet store.
 Many holiday companies also market direct to
consumers, bypassing a traditional retail
intermediary - the travel agent.


 Nature of the Product
 Technical/complex? Complex products are often
sold by specialist distributors or agents
 Customised? A direct distribution approach often
works best for a product that the end consumer
wants providing to a distinct specification
 Type of product – e.g.
convenience, shopping, speciality
 Desired image for the product – if intermediaries are
to be used, then it is essential that those chosen are
suitable and relevant for the product.


 The Market
 Is it geographically spread?
 Does it involve selling overseas?
 The extent and nature of the competition – which
distribution channels and intermediaries do
competitors use?


 The Business
 Its size and scope – e.g. can it afford an in-house
sales force?
 Its marketing objectives – revenue or profit
maximisation?
 Does it have established distribution network or
does it need to extend its distribution option
 How much control does it want over
distribution? The longer the channel, the less control
is available


 Legal Issues
 Are there limitations on sale?
 What are the risks if an intermediary sells the
product to an inappropriate customer?


 Market Coverage
 Sales Forecast
 Cost
 Other Resources
 Profitability
 Control
 Motivation
 Reputation
 Competition
 Contracts

 Market Coverage: - does the profile of existing customers match
your target market profile? - is the number of customers big
enough to meet the required distribution penetration? - is the
existing sales force big enough to cover the territory? - are they
dependant on a single individual? - are the existing delivery fleet
and warehouse facilities adequate?

 Sales Forecast: How many can they sell? What are their forecasts
based upon? Do they give a 'best, worst and average' forecast? Will
they invest in large stock commitment? Do they have budgets to
run promotions? Some suppliers even ask their distributors for a
marketing plan showing how they intend to market the supplier's
products.

 Cost: What will it cost in terms of discounts, commissions, stock
investment and marketing support?


 Other Resources: Does the target market require anything special
such as technical advice, installation, quick deliveries, instant
availability? If so can the distributor provide it?

 Profitability: How much profit will the distributor generate for the
supplier?

 Control: Do they have a reporting system in place? How do they
deal with problems? How often are review meetings scheduled?
Can you influence the way they present your products?

 Motivation: Does the agent or distributor convey a sense of
excitement and enthusiasm about the product? What about its
sales force - what's their reaction?


 Reputation: Has it got a good track record? This includes the
number of years in business, growth and profit
record, solvency, general stability and overall reliability. Is it
dependant on one key player?

 Competition: Do they distribute any competitor's products?

 Contracts: Some distributors demand exclusivity. Some
agreements tie the supplier in for certain periods of time. Check
for flexibility in case things go wrong

 The bottom line is: Can the agent or distributor be
motivated, controlled and trusted? Motivated to sell your product
among a range of others. Controlled to feed back results or change
strategy if requested. And trusted to act as a reliable ambassador
of your product?


 Distribution strategy is influenced by the
market structure, the firm's objectives, its
resources and of course its overall marketing
strategy
 All these factors are addressed in the section on
selecting Distribution Channels


 Intensive (with mass distribution into all
outlets as in the case of confectionery);

 Selective (with carefully chosen distributors
e.g. speciality goods such as car repair kits);

 or Exclusive (with distribution restricted to up-
market outlets, as in the case of Gucci clothes)


 The next strategic decision clarifies the number
of levels within a channel such as
agents, distributors, wholesalers, retailers
 In some Japanese markets there are
many, many intermediaries involved


 Next comes a sensitive strategic decision
whether to go single channel or multi-channel
 Some producers, like Manchester United
FC, use multi-channels - they use many
different routes, direct and indirect, to bring
their products to their customers
 Multi-channel Systems like this are common
where intensive distribution is required. So
direct marketing is combined with indirect
marketing through intermediaries

 Two common strategies are Vertical Marketing
Systems and Horizontal Marketing Systems


 Involve suppliers and intermediaries working
closely together instead of against each other
 They plan production and delivery
schedules, quality levels, promotions and
sometimes prices. Resources, like
information, equipment and expertise, are
shared
 The system is usually managed by a dominant
member, or 'channel captain'
 VMS is more flexible than vertical integration
where the manufacturer actually owns the
distribution channel

 Occur where organisations operating on the
same channel level (e.g. two suppliers or two
retailers) co-operate
 They then share their distribution expertise and
distribution channels
 This can speed up the time taken to penetrate
the market
 There is room for creative alliances here


Distribution Channels

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