What Caused the Global Economic Crisis ?
The previous article in the module introduced the global economic crisis with a brief overview of the causes. This article looks at the causes of the global economic crisis in depth. For starters, the global economic crisis carries a distinct “Made in the USA” tag which means that the origins of the crisis are to […]
Contract Logistics Pricing Methods
Warehousing and Contract Logistics forms an important part of Supply Chain Networks. Contract Logistics projects are of two kinds. The first being a flow through the warehouse that can be a Finished Goods warehouse for the purpose of consolidation and merging or documentation purposes or in the case of supplier shipments, inventories being consolidated to […]
A Brief on Customs Brokerage
International trade is regulated through tariffs and trade laws established by the Country’s Federal Governments to control the imports and exports of the country. The Government invests executive powers to the Customs Departments, headed by Custom’s Commissioners to administer the policies and tariffs on all imports and exports into and out of the country. Customs […]
Users Interface and Users Management in ERP System
Users interface directly impact usability of an ERP system. A properly designed user interface provides proper accessibility to the intended functions of the system and enables execution of transactions. Earlier users accessed the system with dumb terminals (ASCII) which had lot of usability deficiencies and this led to subsequent adoption of Graphical Users Interface (often […]
Check Sheet – A Basic Six Sigma Tool
A check sheet is a simple tool that was once a part of the seven basic tools of six sigma. It is said that check sheet has become obsolete because of the introduction of software which have the capability to record high volumes of data and present them in a format as required. The check […]
The last two decades have changed the way business is getting conducted. Some businesses are still using traditional channel systems but advent of the Internet has revolutionized distribution channels. Companies are changing business models to leverage Internet advantage.
With open proliferation of information, customer expectations are reaching new heights. Companies need to figure out the right channel mix with multi channels’ strategies. From a manager stand point marketing channel is defined as any external agencies, which facilitate distribution of products and services.
The marketing channel is one of the key drivers for strategies around the marketing mix, i.e. product, price, place and promotion.
The channel flow is a flow which relates different agencies involved in the distribution of goods and products.
The channel structure is referred to as the combination of different channel members in achieving organization’s marketing mix strategy.
The marketing channel consists of various players like manufacturers, producers, wholesalers and retailers. Manufacturers and producers develop their own marketing channel to reach the end user. However, not all manufacturers have the expertise in managing channel participants. Therefore, they need wholesalers and retailers for distribution of goods.
There are three types of wholesalers; merchant wholesalers, agents and producer’s branch offices. Merchant wholesalers usually have good capacity of storing and managing goods. In contrast, agent works as middlemen for producers and end users. Retailers are responsible for selling goods and products to end users.
The major role of channel participants is to make the distribution and selling of goods and products efficient. Intermediaries provide manufactures opportunities which for them financially would not be feasible. Intermediaries provide greater market exposure, market intelligence, economies of scale and operational knowledge.
Conflict among channel partners adversely affects the distribution of goods and products. It is important for the channel managers to understand the nature of conflict and come with solution, which strengthens the distribution network.
However, all issues in the channel cannot be considered as a conflict. The channel manager needs to assess the frequency of disagreement, level of disagreement and importance of issue.
The top reasons for an emergence of conflict among channel partners are as follows:
Conflict between the channel partners can be resolved by improving communication among themselves and also with producer. Another way of solving conflict is by directing all channels to a single objective of creating customer delight.
Multi channel marketing system has become a prominent way through which goods and products are delivered to end users. The multi channel system enables the companies to deliver goods and products to end users as per their preference. The delivery of goods can be through store, website, mail order, etc.
Another innovation in the marketing channel system is the franchise. Franchise enables brand recognition, standardization of operation structure, access to learning curve and less financial investment.
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Communication Systems and Groupware – Information System Concepts that Apply in All Functional Areas of Business
February 12, 2025
