Marketing Channel Strategy
Specialized Intermediaries
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Specialized intermediaries enter the channel to perform a specific function; typi- cally, they are not heavily involved in the core business represented by the products being sold. For example, insurance, financing, and credit card companies are all involved in financing; advertising agencies participate in the channel’s promotion function; logistics and shipping firms engage in physical possession; information technology firms may participate in ordering or payment functions; and marketing research firms generate marketing intelligence that can support the performance of many functions. EXAMPLE: MTIME—BRINGING HOLLYWOOD TO ASIA (CHINA) established in 2005, mtime (www.mtime.com) is China’s answer to Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, and ImDb. China is predicted to overtake the United states as the world’s largest movie market, measured by box office revenues, relatively soon. 23 The mtime online portal provides Chinese consumers with movie reviews, critics ratings, and a database of film synop- ses going back to 1905. It also sells movie tickets online and provides partner theaters with data about movie ticket sales, segmented by market. mtime carries celebrity news and covers movie premieres. most Chinese consumers do not have access to Facebook and other Western social media sites (which are blocked by the Chinese government), so portals like mtime are a primary source of news about hollywood and celebrities. In 2015, mtime partnered with Dalian Wanda Group, China’s largest theater chain, to sell movie-themed merchandise in theaters. mtime also licenses products from hasbro and mattel, to sell through pop-up stores and its own online portal. As a result of these varied appeals, mtime boasts an estimated 160 million unique visitors a month and has been acquired by its erstwhile partner the Dalian group for $350 million. 24 End-Users: Downstream Channel Members End-users (business or consumer) are channel members as well, because they can and frequently do perform channel functions, just as other channel members do. Businesses often stock up on raw materials for their operations; they are performing The OmnI-ChAnnel eCOsysTem 11 physical possession, ownership, and financing functions, because they buy a much larger volume of product than they will use in the near future. They also pay for the raw materials before they use them, thus injecting cash into the channel. While storing the raw materials in their factories, they reduce the need for warehouse space maintained by the supplier, thus taking on part of the physical possession function. They bear all the costs of ownership too, including pilferage, spoilage, and so forth. Naturally, these buyers expect a price cut for their bulk purchases, because they are bearing so many more channel function costs. Combinations of Channel Members The various channel participants can come together in various ways to create an effective marketing channel strategy. The optimal range and number of channel members depend on the needs of the end-users and manufacturers. In addition, the identity of the channel captain can vary from situation to situation. Appendix 1.1 outlines several different possible channel formats for manufacturers, retailers, service providers, and other channel structures. Online Channels Online channels go by many aliases: e-commerce, e-tailing, online retailing, and Internet channels, to name a few. tải về 5.39 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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