Using Marketing Channels to Create Value for Customers
Completion requirements
Read this chapter, which explains that a direct marketing channel consists of just two parties: the producer and the consumer. By contrast, a channel that includes one or more intermediaries (wholesalers, distributors, brokers, or agents) is an indirect channel. Firms often utilize multiple channels to reach more customers and increase their effectiveness. Some companies find ways to increase their sales by forming strategic channel alliances. Other companies look for ways to cut out the middlemen from the channel, known as disintermediation. Direct foreign investment, joint ventures, exporting, franchising, and licensing are some of the channels by which firms attempt to enter foreign markets.
Marketing Channel Strategies
Review Questions
- Why are good channel decisions critical to a product's success?
- Name the factors that affect channel-selection decisions.
- Which kinds of products are more likely to be distributed using exclusive marketing strategies?