Channel Strategy: Going to Market

1. Channel Strategy: Going to Market EWMBA 206 Week 7

2. Dell Direct • Fostered a new age of price competition. Priced 20 to 30% below IBM and consistently • 22 yr old UT Austin marketing major, initial seed capital of 80K • IBM open architecture, • investment in R&D, advertising and sales force support. • Sold through regular distribution channels. Depended upon dealer service and support • Dell targeted the “expert market” • sold thru 1-800 number. • Direct marketing cut out the channel fat • piggybacked upon IBM open architecture

3. Key LearningIntegrated Channel and Pricing Strategy • Channel decisions must always go hand in hand with Segmentation, Pricing and other elements of the marketing mix. • Dell’s direct was possible because it was an integrated strategy • Right target identification • Direct marketing, no distribution or salesforce cost. • no advertising • And so lower price can be delivered to the price sensitive target consumer.

4. Learning • Coordinating channels is critical for efficient behavior of retailers. • Channel decisions go hand in hand with the other elements of the marketing mix. • Channel decisions have greatest the most long-term impact and are the hardest among all marketing strategy to change.

5. Why Use Channel Intermediaries? Without Intermediaries Milk P1 Bread P2 ShampooP3 Soap P4 C1 C2 C3 Reducing Transaction Costs With Intermediaries P1 P2 P3 P4 Wholesaler or Retailer C1 C2 C3

6. Why Channel Intermediaries? • Customers buy baskets or “assortments” of goods. Economizes on the time cost of shopping • Retail Service is most efficiently provided by an intermediary • product demonstration, after-sales service • Inventory carrying • Intermediaries provide inventory buffer. Hedge against demand fluctuations for the manufacturers. • Financing • Examples automobiles or appliances

7. Channel Conflict • When each member of the channel is an independent business, retailers might not behave according to the manufacturer desires • This is called Channel Conflict • Key problems with independent channels = Channel Conflict. • Each member has her own private interests or profits in mind. • Retail perspective may be more short term short-term profits than the manufacturer. • National vs. Local perspective

8. Solution to Channel Conflict:Channel Coordination General Principle • Manufacturers must find ways to maximize total channel profits. • Why? • The incremental profits can be used in two ways: • Absorbed by the manufacturer leaving the retailer or other down stream channel member no worse than before. • Shared with the channel members to reward them for providing better service. • The challenge is to get the retailers to “behave” in a conventional channel with independent retailers

9. Manufacturer Goodyear Retailer (Independent Dealer) Market Channel Conflict and CoordinationDouble Marginalization C = 10 W P D(P)

10. Double Marginalization W = 10 W = 20 W = 30 W = 40

11. Double Marginalization Problem • What wholesale price will the manufacturer charge? • Manufacturer wants high W, • But this forces retailer to charge high retail prices with too little demand • Can the manufacturer do better?

12. Solution to Double Marginalization • Two-Part Tariff: • McDonalds charges Upfront Franchise Fees from its franchise and a variable royalty…Why? • Two part tariff = F + Wq • Suppose the manufacturer asks the retailer for an upfront Franchise Fee (F = $195) and in return charges W = c = 10… • What happens? • Manufacturer Profits = 195, Retailer Profits = 5 • Retail price = low at 30 • Demand = high at 10. • Upfront Franchise fees helps in solving channel conflict because it helps the manufacturer to lower wholesale price without sacrificing profits.

13. Channel Conflict and CoordinationHorizontal Conflict Horizontal Retailer “Free-Riding”: • Services provided by one retailer helps other competing retailers • McDonald’s franchisees in a region. • Free riding of pre-sale informational services. • Goodyear selling to discounters and mass merchandisers. Solutions • Random Monitoring of Franchises • Exclusive territories: Retailer is guaranteed all consumers in a territory? What are the benefits? • Saturn dealerships • Prevents free-riding of retail services.

14. Vertical Retailer Free-Riding • Retailer may use the manufacturer’s brand to draw customers into the store and then sell other higher margin brands (Bait-and-Switch) • Possible problem with Goodyear dealers as the market matures and becomes more competitive. Solution • Exclusive Dealing Contract: Requirement not to carry other brands. • Provides incentives to retailers to invest in service to build up the product and therefore the manufacturer to invest in advertising and brand building.

15. Channel Conflict and CoordinationManufacturer Free-Riding • Manufacturer may not provide the promised advertising support for the retailers local market. • Manufacturers may open supply to competing retailers after a retailer has invested in developing the manufacturer’s product. Solution • Exclusive territories. • Why are automobiles often sold through exclusive dealerships in exclusive territories….

16. Consumer Segmentation and Channel Design • Design channels to serve the needs of target consumer segments. • Which channel to use depends upon which consumer segment • comparison shopper vs. product information vs. after-sales service. • emergency vs. planned • Evolution of consumer behavior to one-shop shopping has affected tire channels.

17. Information Needs and Channel Design • Customers could identify Aquatread as being different…”grooves” • Can the role of this feature be easily communicated by TV advertising  determines how important is the role of retail information • Primary information (education, demonstration, service) • Early phase of product life cycle PLC. • Need a dedicated authorized dealer channel which does not deal with competitive products. • Comparative information • Later phase of PLC need to accentuate benefits versus competition. • If you have a superior product you can move into channels which display products side by side.

18. Learning • Coordinating channels is critical for efficient behavior of retailers. • Channel decisions go hand in hand with the other elements of the marketing mix. • Channel decisions have greatest the most long-term impact and are the hardest among all marketing strategy to change.