Marketing Channel Strategy
channel intermediary domain
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| channel intermediary domain
, our goal is to identify the best practices to integrate into an omni-channel system, according to the per- spectives of the most common channel participants, structures, and strategies: retailing (Chapter 6), wholesaling (Chapter 7), franchising (Chapter 8), and international channels (Chapter 9). Retailing connects the channel to the end-user, and the mul- tiplicity of retailing models available today offers testimony to the vast range of end-user segments seeking different concatenations of service outputs. We address various e-commerce topics too, such as digitization, showrooming, disinterme- diation, virtual and augmented reality, social commerce, and mobile commerce. Dramatic changes in the business environment—shifts from products to services, increases in e-commerce, globalization—are leading to the emergence of new chan- nel systems, with the potential to disrupt many traditional approaches. For example, the shift to online purchases of books and music has dramatically transformed the channel system for these products. Wholesaling is distribution’s “back room,” mov- ing and holding product both efficiently (i.e., to minimize cost) and effectively (i.e., to create spatial convenience and quick delivery). Franchising is an important method of selling that allows small-businesspeople to operate retail product and service outlets, with the benefits of a large-scale parent company’s (franchisor’s) knowledge, strategy, and tactical guidance. The channels differ somewhat in inter- national marketing, so we also address some of these challenges, especially for firms that seek to reach the base or bottom of the pyramid; that is, the poorest consumers, often living in remote regions of the world. With Chapters 10 and 11, we pull all this information together to propose omni-channel strategies. In Chapter 10, the focus is on the end-user. A fundamen- tal principle of marketing is segmentation, which means dividing a market into groups of end-users who are (1) maximally similar to one another and (2) maximally different from other groups. For channel managers, segments can be best defined according to the service outputs the end-user needs to obtain from that marketing channel. A marketing channel is more than just a conduit for products; it is a means to add value to the products and services marketed through it. In this sense, the marketing channel represents another “production line,” engaged in producing not the product (or service) that is being sold but rather the ancillary services that define how the product will be sold. Value-added services created by channel members and consumed by end-users, together with the product purchased, represent service The OmnI-ChAnnel eCOsysTem 19 outputs. Service outputs include (but are not limited to) bulk-breaking, spatial con- venience, waiting and delivery time, assortment and variety, customer service, and product/market/usage information sharing. In Chapter 11, we detail four pillars of an omni-channel strategy: harnessing customer knowledge, leveraging technology, managing channel relationships, and assessing channel performance. We believe that to design an optimal channel strat- egy for a targeted end-user market, the designer must audit the existing marketing channels serving this segment. This audit should evaluate the capabilities of each potential channel, in terms of the nine key channel functions (Figure 1.1), to deter- mine how well it is suited to meet the segment’s service output demands. Channel functions pertain to all channel activities that add value to the end-user, such that we move beyond merely moving the product along the channel to include promotion, negotiation, financing, ordering, payment, and so forth. An omni-channel strategy is applicable both in consumer and business markets. In Figure 1.3, on the left, we present upstream sellers of raw materials or compo- nent parts. Most finished goods sellers are not fully vertically integrated, so they obtain raw materials and component parts from upstream suppliers. These sup- pliers may be grouped into tiers, depending on their degree of importance or the amount of business they transact with the finished goods sellers. Upstream sellers of raw materials and parts also use a variety of distribution methods to serve fin- ished goods sellers. Three primary drivers determine the suitability of a given channel: the size of the customer (finished goods seller) and its buying preferences, as well as the sell- er’s willingness and ability to interact through a certain channel. To earn business from and manage relationships with larger customers, a supplier might deploy tải về 5.39 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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