By Sun Maobin, Yuanjing Consulting Since 2013, the entire baijiu industry has undergone adjustment and transformation. As the industry gradually shows signs of recovery, several new changes have also emerged in baijiu sales. Under the premise of actively responding to market changes, choosing a good product becomes particularly important for distributors to achieve the fastest development. Of course, not every brand can highlight its advantages upon launch, and not every distributor can secure agency for best-selling major brands. More often, distributors gradually identify products with potential during the process of representing multiple brands. So how can distributors quickly find suitable products to distribute? I think distributors should consider the following points.
1. Product positioning should be close to consumer demand Products are produced to be consumed, and liquor is no exception. Therefore, the positioning of the selected liquor must align with the consumption base of local consumers and target consumer groups. Mid-to-high-end products must be grand and upscale, leaving a deep impression from packaging to quality, ideally giving a unique feeling; mid-to-low-end products should be close to daily life, mainly for daily consumption, giving consumers a sense of value for money and comparative advantages over other products; as for low-price products, adding a small prize is suitable. Consumers of such liquor generally focus on getting a buzz, have low requirements for quality, and tend to like small bargains, so low-price liquor with small prizes is conducive to sales.
2. The brand and strength of the liquor enterprise Generally, brands with relative fame and market foundation are easier for consumers to accept, and consumers are more receptive to new product lines. However, not all distributors can represent major or well-known brands. In such cases, when representing lesser-known brands, the strength of the liquor enterprise must be a key consideration. Does the enterprise brew its own liquor or just buy base liquor for blending? Is the enterprise state-owned or private, and what is its strength? In past sales, has there been a consumption base or negative news? What is the enterprise's credibility? These are all manifestations of an enterprise's strength and are worth attention when distributors choose products.
3. The liquor enterprise's product line planning and the importance of the represented product to the enterprise This mainly considers whether the product or series is a key investment for the enterprise. Relatively speaking, liquor enterprises pay less attention to marginal product lines or developed products, and correspondingly invest less in market expenses, making market development and sales more difficult. Therefore, when selecting products to operate, distributors should try to choose products directly made by the factory rather than developed products, and choose products that the enterprise values more rather than marginal products.
4. The enterprise's market operation and marketing model For a product, does the enterprise position it as a high-end image product or as a low-price, low-margin volume product? Are the enterprise's medium- and long-term plans and short-term plans clear and definite? Even for the same product, different operational approaches may lead to completely opposite sales feedback. Therefore, when selecting products to distribute, distributors must choose liquor enterprises and products whose marketing ideas they can identify with, which will facilitate their own operations and increase confidence in actual market operations.
5. The quality and skills of business personnel When distributors choose to represent a liquor enterprise's products, the enterprise usually sets up offices to assist distributors in developing the market. At this time, the quality and skills of the business personnel dispatched by the enterprise are extremely important. Capable office personnel can not only communicate well between the enterprise and distributors, promptly convey policies and report market information, but also help distributors build a truly cohesive marketing team with market operation execution capability. Often, we find that the same good product entering different markets yields vastly different results precisely because of the quality and skills of the business personnel. Therefore, when selecting products, distributors must also pay attention to the quality of the liquor enterprise's business personnel, especially the quality of management and sales personnel who will be active on the front line in the future.
As the liquor industry gradually recovers, distributors are both excited and cautious when selecting products. On the one hand, the industry recovery brings confidence to consumption and sales; on the other hand, after the industry's adjustment and transformation, distributors have become extremely cautious in choosing products to represent. There are many factors to consider when selecting products; the above are just some common and important ones, for reference only.