Sales channels to reach your customers
Selling through retailers, wholesalers and other distributors
Selling through an intermediary may be a more cost-effective way of reaching your end-customers than selling to them directly.
If you are targeting business customers who prefer to deal with large suppliers, selling directly to them may not be a realistic option. Instead, you might aim to supply wholesalers who have existing relationships with those businesses.
If individual consumers buy low value quantities of your products, the best option might be to target retailers that sell similar products. Or you might choose to focus your efforts on a relatively small number of wholesalers who can in turn supply your products to many retailers.
Other distribution channels may also reach your end-customers. For example, technology suppliers often sell to resellers who can configure and install the technology to suit end-users’ particular needs.
Managing your distributors
You need distributors who will value your product. If they sell competing products, what will make them push yours?
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Think about how you set your prices. Distributors will be more enthusiastic if they can make a large profit – but setting too low a price will eat into your own margins.
Effective advertising and promotions can be vital. As well as marketing to the distributor, you can promote your products directly to end-customers. Distributors will be keener to stock and sell products that their customers are asking for.
The key terms of the supply relationship should be covered in a written contract. Key issues might include:
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how much stock the distributor will hold
what the distributor will do to promote your products
how quickly you can resupply and minimum order levels
whether the distributor has exclusive rights to your product (for example, in a particular territory)
what happens if either you or the distributor want to end the relationship
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Reverse Logistics
Reverse Logistics
As Supply Chain Activities are evolving and partnering changes in business models, the focus and activities are not restricted to the management of raw materials and finished goods from point of origin from the vendors to plants and further on to the end customers. There is another extension to Supply Chain Process called as Reverse Logistics.
Reverse Logistics as the name denotes, deals with the planning, process and flow of finished goods inventory, packaging materials and parts of finished product back from end customer to the product company as sales return or warranty return or unsold inventory with trading partners. Reverse Logistics planning further re-captures value from these materials as much as possible by way of re salvaging, repair, refurbishing, recycling etc.
Globally awareness about Hazardous waste generation and disposal is increasing and leading to legislations being passed by the various countries. Europe has been the leader to implement legislation about ensuring that the product companies take responsibility for reverse logistics of all product wastage arising out of any supply chain activity. The European Union has passed bills on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Restriction of Hazardous Substances. Green Logistics initiative has outlined a detailed process for the suppliers and manufacturers to adapt color coding systems to identify different kinds of waste reusable, recyclable, green waste, etc.. Packaging retrieval, salvaging and scrapping process have been well developed with the entry of many small and medium sector companies investing in setting up scrap salvaging activity as commercial ventures.
Awareness has further pushed companies to adopt standards and measures in ensuring recycling and e-waste in a bid to take responsibility towards minimizing environmental impacts and reducing scrap besides ensuring complete recovery of waste materials.
Automotive After Market and Electronic Equipment and Computer Hardware industries have developed successful Reverse logistics practices and have managed to integrate reverse logistics as a important marketing strategy to project the companys social responsibility in the area of waste management as well as to contribute to the developmental activities in society by donating funds arising out of scrap disposal and recycling.
While many developing countries are yet to pass legislation concerning environmental safeguards, recycling, e-waste disposal processes, the Multinational Organizations have already adapted processes of reverse logistics and implemented them in all countries wherever they have operations.
Automotive after Market industry has developed the successful practice of producing refurbished parts and recycled components that are sold through the spares markets. A lot of value has been unlocked from the reusable parts of vehicles especially starters and alternators.
Re-engineering products with re-used material has yielded in the saving of tons of raw materials, besides providing and generating employment to hundreds of people involved in setting up small outfits to dismantle the parts. As per industry estimates, this activity has employed over 12000 in the US alone and the reused auto parts make up for over 36 billion dollars as estimated by Auto Parts Re-Manufacturers Association.
In the computer hardware and peripherals industry case study, HP makes for a good example. HP has developed supply chain model of collecting the used cartridges and other consumables through e-bins prominently displayed with the retailer outlets. The reverse logistics for this particular process is designed to collect the waste locally from all e-bins, consolidate and ship out to regional centers that are located at gateway ports in the country. Such consolidated waste is further forwarded to recycling plants identified within the country to another nearby location overseas. Recycling plants manage to salvage metals and other materials before using the plastic raw material as the raw material to manufacture some other items such as bottles etc. It is reported that HP has allocated the funds generated out of such activity to sponsor events directed at fulfillment of its social responsibility and community development projects.
Today taking responsibility to take back the packaging and products has been found not only to yield scrap and salvage value but is increasingly being looked upon as corporate responsibility and part of corporate governance and good practice adopted by responsible companies. No doubt this provides value to marketing strategy too and improves stature business.
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