Marketing Channels

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 Learning Objectives
• Understand channel structure and how
channels manage discrepancies
• Understand concept of channel flows
• Relationship of channel flows to service levels
• Understand channel formats and levels
• Understand what channel systems are
expected to deliver
• Prominent marketing and channel systems

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 Channel Functions
• Information gathering
• Consumer motivation
• Bargaining with suppliers
• Placing orders
• Financing
• Inventory management
• Risk bearing
• After sales support
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 Role of Intermediaries

Company 1 Company 2 Company 3

Intermediary

Large number of CONSUMERS

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Direct and Indirect….
 Direct Distribution
• Company to consumers or retailers
without use of intermediaries. Also
includes reaching Institutional buyers.
• Selling on the Internet
• If products are technically complex, this
system is preferred
• Cost is a major consideration to adopt
this mode
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Direct Distribution - Examples
• Banking services
• Credit cards
• Petrol / diesel – company own outlets
• Land line phone connections
• Health services
• Utilities – electricity, water
• Subsidized ration
• Education
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 Indirect Distribution
• Goods may move through a set of
intermediaries
– Most FMCG companies follow this route
• The intermediary has a far better reach
than the company
• The cost of operations of an
intermediary like a wholesaler / retailer
is shared with many businesses.
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 Indirect Distribution -
Examples
• All FMCG, consumer durables and
pharmaceutical
• Petrol / diesel / cooking gas -
franchisees
• Insurance
• Mobile phones
• All kinds of passenger transport
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 Marketing Channel Systems
• Vertical:
– Corporate
– Administered
– Contractual
• Horizontal
• Multi-channel

Vertical….
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 Vertical Marketing System
• Various parties like producers, wholesalers
and retailers act as a unified system to
avoid conflicts
• Improves operating efficiency and
marketing effectiveness
• 3 types:
– Corporate
– Administered
– Contractual
Corporate…
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 Corporate VMS
• Combines successive stages of
production and distribution under single
ownership
• Examples:
– Bata, Bombay Dyeing, Raymond
– Sears, Goodyear
– Suppliers of food items could be also their
own supplying firms - like Nilgiris
Administered…11
 Administered VMS
• Co-ordinates distribution activities
• Gains market power by dominating a channel
• Usually true of dominant brands like GE,
Kodak, Pepsi, Gillette, Coke and HLL in
certain locations
– Command high level of co-operation in shelf
space, displays, pricing policies and promotion
strategies

Contractual…
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 Contractual VMS
• Independent producers, wholesalers and
retailers operate on a contract
• Could take the forms of:
– Wholesaler sponsored voluntary chains
– Retailer co-operatives
– Manufacturer sponsored retail or wholesale
franchise
– Franchise organizations
– Service firm sponsored retail franchise
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 Horizontal MS
• Two or more unrelated companies join
together to pool resources and exploit
an emerging market opportunity
– In-store banking in hotels, big stores
– Retail outlets in petrol bunks
– Coffee Day outlets in airports

Multi-channel…
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 Multi-channel Distribution

• Company uses different channels to

reach / same or different market
segments
– Most FMCG companies have separate
networks for retail market and
institutions
– Pharma companies may use different
channels to reach doctors, chemists and
hospitals

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 Multi-channel Distribution
• Used in situations where:
– Same product but different market
segments
– Unrelated products in same market –
detergents and ice creams (HLL)
– Size of buyers varies
– Geographic concentration of potential
consumers varies
– Reach is difficult

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 Distribution Channels
• Take care of the following
‘discrepancies’
– Spatial
– Temporal
– Breaking bulk
– Assortment and
– Financial support

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 Spatial Discrepancy
• The channel system helps reduce the
‘distance’ between the producer and
the consumer of his products.
– Consumers are scattered
– Have to be reached cost effectively
• Example: companies produce products
in one location even for global needs

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 Temporal Discrepancy
• The channel system helps in speeding up in
meeting the requirement of the consumers
– Time when the product is made and when it is
consumed is different
– Limited number of production points but hundreds
of consumers
• Maruti plant in Gurgaon – cars and spares
are available when the consumer wants

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 Breaking Bulk
• The channel system reduces large quantities
into consumer acceptable lot sizes
– Production has to be in large quantities to benefit
from economies of scale
– Consumption is necessarily in small lot sizes
• India is the ultimate example in breaking
bulk – you can buy one cigarette, one
Anacin, one toffee etc

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 Need for Assortment
• The channel system helps aggregate a
range of products for the benefit of the
consumer – it could be made by one
company or several of them.
– For the same product, it could be a variety
of brands and pack sizes
• MICO makes fuel injection equipment,
spark plugs etc in different plants but its
dealer will sell the entire range.
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 Financial Support
• The channel system provides critical
working capital to its customers by
extending credit.
• Some channel members like stockists
and wholesalers finance the business of
their customers.
– Medical diagnostic equipment to hospitals

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 Channel Flows
• Forward flow – company to its
customers – goods and services
• Backward flow – customers to the
company – payment for the goods.
Returned goods.
• Flows both ways - information

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Three Flows Recognized
FORWARD
Goods and Services

BACKWARD
Payment for goods / returns

BOTH WAYS
Information

Company Customers

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 The Five Channel Flows
• Physical flow of goods
• Title flow of goods (negotiation,
ownership and risk sharing also)
• Payment flows (financing and payment)
• Information flow (about goods, orders
placed and orders executed)
• Promotion flows
Who is responsible?

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 Channel Flows
• Some channel member/s have to perform them
• There is a cost associated with each flow
• If a channel member is discontinued, the flow
has to be performed by another
• All flows and transactions can be effective only
with timely, accurate and correct information
• The channel flow is ideally to be handled by the
most competent channel member who can
deliver best service at the lowest cost.

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 Degree of Involvement
Manufacturer C&FA or Distributor, Wholesaler or
Distribution dealers retailer
Center
Physical Physical Physical Physical
Title / ownership Title Title / ownership Title / ownership
Information Information Information Information
Risk sharing Payment Payment Payment
Promotions Order Order placement Order placement
processing Negotiation Negotiation
Risk sharing Risk sharing
Promotions Promotions

Channel formats… 27
 Channel Formats
• Is decided by who ‘drives’ the channel
system:
– Producer driven
– Seller driven
– Service driven
– Others

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 Producer Driven
• This is the effort of the manufacturer to reach
the product to his consumers. Examples:
– Company owned retail outlets – petrol, Bata,
Reliance mobiles
– Licensed outlets – KMF
– Consignment selling agents
– Franchisees
– Brokers
– Vending machines
– Company contracted distributors
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 Seller Driven
• Use of existing channels to reach the
largest number of end users
– Existing wholesalers and retailers
– Modern retail formats
– Specialty stores – Shoppers’ Stop
– Discount stores – Subhiksha
– Pheriwalas

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 Service Driven
• These are the people who facilitate the
distribution
– Transporters and freight forwarders
– Providers of warehouse space
– C&F agents
– 3P Logistics service providers
– Couriers

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 Other formats
• Multi-level marketing systems – Amway,
Modicare, Tupperware, Herbalife
• Co-operative societies
• Telephone kiosks
• TV home shopping
• Catalogue marketing
• The internet
• Exhibitions, fairs and trade shows
• Data base marketing

Channel levels…
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 Channel Levels
• Zero level – if the product or service is
provided to the end user directly by the
company.
– Used mostly by companies delivering service like
health, education, banking (also known as service
channels)
• One level – consists of one intermediary
• Two level – consists of two intermediaries
and is the most common for FMCG products
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 Service Channel
• Companies establish their own unique
channels to deliver services like health,
education, banking, insurance etc
– Hundreds of bank branches to be close to
prospects
– Banks may also recruit independent agents to get
customers to walk in
– Consulting or IT firm uses one team for Biz
Development and another for execution
– Musician or magician may use mass media,
events or web sites to reach customers

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 Summarize Expectations…

Channel Levels
Manufacturer Manufacturer Manufacturer

Distributor/ wholesaler

Retailer Retailer

End User End User End User

Zero level One level Two level

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 Key Learnings
• Marketing channels are responsible for flows
– physical possession, title, payments,
information and promotion covered by
forward, backward and flows both ways
• Each channel partner has a different role in
supporting customer service through suitable
channel flows
• Number of categories operating in a channel
system define the channel levels as one, two
etc
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 Key Learnings
• Channel system deliverables are: bulk
breaking, place utility, reduced waiting time,
providing assortment, financial help,
installation and after sales support.
• Customer service has to be done at optimum
cost
• Marketing channel systems are categorised
as vertical, horizontal and multi-channel
depending on the structure and the
functionality
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