Management of channel systems

Although middlemen can offer greater distribution economy to producers, gaining cooperation from these middlemen can be problematic. Middlemen must continuously be motivated and stimulated to perform at the highest level. In order to gain such a high level of performance, manufacturers need some sort of leverage. Researchers have distinguished five bases of power: coercive (threats if the middlemen do not comply), reward (extra benefits for compliance), legitimate (power by position—rank or contract), expert (special knowledge), and referent (manufacturer is highly respected by the middlemen).
As new institutions emerge or products enter different life-cycle phases, distribution channels change and evolve. With these types of changes, no matter how well the channel is designed and managed, conflict is inevitable. Often this conflict develops because the interests of the independent businesses do not coincide. For example, franchisers, because they receive a percentage of sales, typically want their franchisees to maximize sales, while the franchisees want to maximize their profits, not sales. The conflict that arises may be vertical, horizontal, or multichannel in nature. When General Motors Corporation comes into conflict with its dealers, this is a vertical channel conflict. Horizontal channel conflict arises when a franchisee in a neighbouring town feels a fellow franchisee has infringed on its territory. Finally, multichannel conflict occurs when a manufacturer has established two or more channels that compete against each other in selling to the same market. For example, a major tire manufacturer may begin selling its tires through mass merchandisers, much to the dismay of its independent tire dealers.

 

Wholesalers

Wholesaling includes all activities required to sell goods or services to other firms, either for resale or for business use, usually in bulk quantities and at lower-than-retail prices. Wholesalers, also called distributors, are independent merchants operating any number of wholesale establishments. Wholesalers are typically classified into one of three groups: merchant wholesalers, brokers and agents, and manufacturers' and retailers' branches and offices.

 

Merchant wholesalers

Merchant wholesalers, also known as jobbers, distributors, or supply houses, are independently owned and operated organizations that acquire title ownership of the goods that they handle. There are two types of merchant wholesalers: full-service and limited-service.

 

Full-service wholesalers

Full-service wholesalers usually handle larger sales volumes; they may perform a broad range of services for their customers, such as stocking inventories, operating warehouses, supplying credit, employing salespeople to assist customers, and delivering goods to customers. General-line wholesalers carry a wide variety of merchandise, such as groceries; specialty wholesalers, on the other hand, deal with a narrow line of goods, such as coffee and tea, cigarettes, or seafood.

 

Limited-service wholesalers

Limited-service wholesalers, who offer fewer services to their customers and suppliers, emerged in order to reduce the costs of service. There are several types of limited-service wholesalers. Cash-and-carry wholesalers usually handle a limited line of fast-moving merchandise, selling to smaller retailers on a cash-only basis and not delivering goods. Truck wholesalers or jobbers sell and deliver directly from their vehicles, often for cash. They carry a limited line of semiperishables such as milk, bread, and snack foods. Drop shippers do not carry inventory or handle the merchandise. Operating primarily in bulk industries such as lumber, coal, and heavy equipment, they take orders but have manufacturers ship merchandise directly to final consumers. Rack jobbers, who handle nonfood lines such as housewares or personal goods, primarily serve drug and grocery retailers. Rack jobbers typically perform such functions as delivery, shelving, inventory stacking, and financing. Producers' cooperatives—owned by their members, who are farmers—assemble farm produce to be sold in local markets and share profits at the end of the year.
In less-developed countries, wholesalers are often the sole or primary means of trade; they are the main elements in the distribution systems of many countries in Latin America, East Asia, and Africa. In such countries the business activities of wholesalers may expand to include manufacturing and retailing, or they may branch out into nondistributive ventures such as real estate, finance, or transportation. Until the late 1950s, Japan was dominated by wholesaling. Even relatively large manufacturers and retailers relied principally on wholesalers as their intermediaries. However, in the late 20th century, Japanese wholesalers have declined in importance. Even in the most highly industrialized nations, however, wholesalers remain essential to the operations of significant numbers of small retailers.