This document discusses marketing channels and intermediaries. It defines a marketing channel as the set of interdependent organizations involved in making a product available for consumption. Intermediaries like retailers and wholesalers are discussed as types of channel members that improve exchange efficiencies by performing marketing functions and eliminating discrepancies. The document outlines how studying marketing channels includes analyzing the channel design, implementation, power dynamics, and coordination to efficiently meet customer demands.
3. Marketing Channel Defined A set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption.
4. III. Intermediaries A. Types Retailer Wholesaler Agent B. Value Created by Intermediaries Improve exchange efficiency Perform marketing functions Eliminate assortment / quantity discrepancies
10. Gatekeeper Important asset of marketing strategy Differentiator Difficult to replicate End-user satisfaction Overall brand image Awareness of channel importance is low Opportunity for competitive advantage Difficult to create and maintain channel Difficult and costly to change Right the first time Importance of Studying Marketing Channels
14. Segmentation Example: Segments of book end-users Recreational readers University students Convenience-oriented Price-oriented
15. Selecting Target Segments Those we can serve most profitably Restrictions Managerial bounds Environmental bounds Legal Competitive benchmarks
16. Channel Structure Types of channel members Identities of specific channel members Channel intensity: number of each type
17. Gap Analysis The difference between optimal and actual channels Demand side gaps Service output demands are not being met Undersupplied Oversupplied Supply side gaps At least one flow is costing too much Lack of expertise Waste
18. Channel Power Ability to control other channel members Necessary to implement channel design May be used to optimize channel to benefit of all channel members
19. Channel Conflict Actions of channel members prevent channel from achieving its goals Goal conflict Domain conflict Perceptual conflict