Supply Chain & Distribution

As one of the most important parts of the marketing mix, the "place" or route to market of b2b goods and services is vital to understand.

Increasingly, products and services are distributed through a complex network of supply chain partners, joint ventures and intermediaries. Accordingly, research can act as a window onto how organisations can better leverage their routes to market for maximum profitability.

Some of B2B International's published works on the subject of supply chain and distribution research are shown below:

 

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Article: Sharpening The Distributor Network

Increasingly distributors are replacing direct salesforces in industrial marketing. They cost less, they absolve the manufacturer from the burdens of credit control and they provide a wide geographical spread of stocking points. But in appointing distributors the manufacturer loses control of the sharp end where the sale takes place. How can the principal identify weaknesses in a distribution network and what can be done about them? The first indication of a weak distributor could be a fall in his sales performance. The manufacturer has the advantage of...

Article: Recommended Marketing Strategies In Developed And Developing Markets

Interest in developing markets such as China, India, Brazil and Russia has increased rapidly over the past ten years, meaning that market research and intelligence agencies are exploring a wider variety of geographies than ever before. This presents numerous challenges throughout the market research process, for fieldworkers, managers and analysts alike. This article discusses perhaps the most important issue of all – the different insights that tend to arise in different geographies. In particular, how do the critical marketing success factors in the d...

Article: The Changing World of Industrial Distribution

Using distributors as an alternative to selling direct is very far from being a soft option, though it may be inevitable. Here we consider the manufacturer distributor relationship and look at its three commonest problems. Industrial distribution has grown apace over the last 30 years. It has been driven by pressures of ever increasing selling costs and the demands from users for rapid service. Industrial companies which previously managed their own direct salesforces are having to learn how to pick distributors; and they are finding out the difficulties of...

Article: The When And How of Using Distributors

Over the last few years we have carried out a number of surveys to examine the effectiveness of distributors in industrial marketing. There is no doubt that there are many unhappy marriages between manufacturers and their distributors and that the commonest causes of friction are misunderstandings as to when and where this channel should be used and how to get the best out of it. Distributors, merchants, dealers or factors are characterised by two features. First, unlike agents who take a commission, they buy stock for re-sale. Second, they are usually but...