Due to China's market duality, the county and township-level FMCG market also exhibits very unique marketing methods. However, since China's marketing theories are entirely imported from the West, they are completely based on Western urban-rural integrated market operations, so this set of theories is basically inapplicable to county and township markets. And because we have been fighting in urban markets, we have not studied the practical foundations of county and township markets, so how to operate county and township-level FMCG in China is still just beginning. But although research is just starting, many enterprises have already been selling in county and township markets for years and have summarized some basic ideas and methods, some of which have produced unique market tactics. Therefore, it is feasible and necessary to summarize these experiences and apply some existing marketing concepts to develop operational models with Chinese county and township market characteristics. I. Characteristics of County and Township Markets: County and township markets have significantly different characteristics compared to urban markets. Of course, we can elaborate from many aspects; besides the obvious uniqueness of each county and township, there are also many commonalities. We can also understand some of these commonalities from the table below. Item | Township Market | Urban Market Region | Dispersed, natural terrain | Concentrated, block-type Product | Single, low-price | Complete, mid-to-high-end Price | Low price dominates market | Clear price stratification Distribution | Large volume, fewer times | Small volume, frequent restocking Seasonality | Obvious | Increasingly less obvious Distributors | Comprehensive, village chief's relative type | Professional type Channel levels | Long, wide, with many intersections | Short, narrow, with few intersections Venue | Many off-premise consumption | Many on-premise consumption Terminal distribution | Dispersed | Concentrated Other | .. | .. The above is only a partial comparison, but it still shows that the consumer characteristics here are "dispersed, low-level consumption, intermittent (with sales seasonality)", and the market characteristics are "scattered sales points, low single-point sales volume". What we need to discuss is the product circulation and management method for this type of market. II. Main Ideas for Operating County and Township Markets: If county and township markets have the above commonalities, it means that sales can be conducted systematically based on their characteristics. Perhaps we can discuss this here, starting from reality, and try to operate according to the following ideas. 1. Project Development Organization and Vehicle Sales A project development organization is essentially a development task force. Due to the dispersed and intermittent nature of county and township markets, it is sometimes difficult to establish a dedicated sales organization to serve this market. Therefore, first establish a temporary project development organization to enter this way. This ensures organizational support and allows for effective results with reasonable resource investment. This project development organization is very flexible. On one hand, it can allocate some time to gather sales personnel from other regions to focus on market development, conducting carpet-style concentrated sweeps; on the other hand, it can proceed step by step, gradually finding targeted market development methods. It is best to have two or three fixed personnel and seven or eight temporary personnel, especially suitable for business department managers who manage a sales team of about a dozen people distributed across three to five regions. As for vehicle sales, it is a very important way for many famous foreign companies to develop a new market. Coca-Cola successfully used this method to develop many suburban, county, and remote areas. Many enterprises that have reached scale or are quite standardized are implementing a "pre-sale system", but the pre-sale system is more applicable in relatively standardized and mature markets, while the vehicle sales method, which is a direct sales system, is one of the best choices for developing markets or non-standardized markets. By integrating development, sales, distribution, and service, and delivering products to terminals and consumers as quickly as possible, it solves the biggest problems of long distances and scattered sales points in county and township sales. If the sales structure organization adopts a flexible but concentrated form, and the sales model uses the vehicle sales model most suitable for market development, the development of county and township markets will be basically solved. 2. Office Institutions and Large Regional Distributor Sales A project development team is, after all, a temporary and exploratory institution. If the enterprise achieves some development results through the project development organization, such as generating some sales, opening up a market, obtaining some terminal information, and understanding which distributors may be interested in distributing the enterprise's products, then the sales manager should build some confidence and, with the approval of company leaders, deepen sales. During the operation of the project development organization, we may have found several potential distributors. At this time, after communicating with them and obtaining cooperation intentions, we should strike while the iron is hot and make substantial progress in distribution. Once distributor cooperation is established, we can hand over the terminal and market information obtained from vehicle sales to the distributors to support their rapid development. At this point, combined with their market service capabilities and the enterprise's future development plans, we can analyze and let them obtain as large a sales area as possible to quickly penetrate the market. If the enterprise has resources, it can establish a more formal sales organization such as an office or liaison office at this time to strengthen distributors' confidence in long-term development. This office can have functions such as terminal sales staff, distributor sales staff, and if conditions permit, a market specialist position to help with sales decisions and gradually carry out market activities. 3. Assisted Distribution Model and "1+X" Channel Type At a certain stage, when distributors have invested a lot of resources in market development and maintenance, accepted the company's sales philosophy, actively discussed market issues with the company, and gradually made the company's products their main business, we can push distributors completely to the front stage, while the enterprise acts as the backend support for their market operations. At this time, we can adopt an assisted distribution model to help distributors compete in the market, while we provide support in terms of personnel, finance, vehicles, warehousing, or information. At this point, we can also guide distributors to manage terminals, select qualified downstream customers, and begin maintaining some key terminals. As for the "1+X" channel type, it is also a transition from extensive to refined management. The original extensive channel type could be a single general distributor or multiple distributors who sell as long as conditions allow. When conditions mature, we should try to transition to this so-called "1+X" model. This means that although county and township markets are relatively dispersed, county-level markets are still somewhat concentrated. Therefore, we can select one first-level distributor in the county market, and one or two second-level wholesalers in each township. Through joint management and maintenance by the enterprise and the county-level distributor, we can achieve comprehensive penetration and development of township markets. This is the so-called "1+X" model. The assisted distribution model and the "1+X" channel type are both suitable sales channel combinations for county and township markets. In fact, channels and distributors are the most important 4P elements in county and township markets. 4. Focus on Channels and Promotion, and Adapt Products, Promotions, and Advertising to Local Conditions It should be said that county and township markets currently focus on channels and promotion. Although products, promotions, and advertising are increasingly diversified and catching up with urban markets, at this stage, it is more about gaining competitive advantage through channels. As long as we grasp the characteristics of channels and distribution and find ways to reach consumers quickly (or faster and earlier than competitors), we can achieve some success. The operational model for county and township FMCG markets is one that still needs continuous exploration and discovery in practice. If we can master certain common operational methods and find targeted strategies, China's county and township markets still have great potential.