Marketing-distribution营销学之分销策略概论.docVIP

Introduction: As marketers well know, distribution is a major component of the marketing mix, a vital and necessary part of the so-called four Ps. According to Peter Drucker’s view, the distribution as one of the ‘final frontiers’ of management because it affect all aspects of the firm’s long-term and short-term activity and internal organization. (Alan West, 1989, P2) If the product is not accessible, it must be difficult to sell it and then all the efforts made to promote the productions will be in vain. Peter Drucker’s vision of the future of management sees fewer, more highly skilled, and less departmentalized individuals organizing and directing the high technology firms in the industrialized world. Distribution involves a whole range of external and internal factors. And we will discuss the following aspects: Changing distribution environment, components of distribution, key issues of distribution, and the various distribution channel designs. The Changing Distribution Environment: Any companies exist in an era of accelerating change especially the international firms. Large numbers of related environmental changes requires improving of distribution consistently. The pressures exerted by change on company distribution policy vary with the company but all companies will share the common effects of broader environmental conditions. New technology New technology is having a dramatic impact on distribution. It is astonishing because of continually being refined and applied in different situations. Simply by improving knowledge of sales, volumes, production lead times, current inventories, manufacturers can reduce stockholding at plants, control inventories at suppliers and change order processing procedure. (Alan West, 1989, P6) Emergence of new technology leads more effectively transportation, infrastructure and even procedure management. There have been alterations between companies as well as within them. For example, the Bar cod system. It was not used