Issues in Establishing Distribution Channels
Like most marketing decisions, a great deal of research and thought must go into determining how to carry out distribution activities in a way that meets a marketer’s objectives. The marketer must consider many factors when establishing a distribution system. Some factors are directly related to marketing decisions while others are affected by relationships that exist with members of the channel.
Next we examine the key factors to consider when designing a distribution strategy. We group these into two main categories:
- Marketing Decision Issues
- Channel Relationship Issues
In turn, each of these categories contains several topics of concern to marketers.