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Articles by 高级研究员 海游
Browse 210 New Distribution articles by 高级研究员 海游.
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210 articles · Page 3 of 9
What Are the Key Levers Between Suppliers and Brand Owners in Digital Transformation?
This article, written from the perspective of a brand owner, is aimed at system suppliers dedicated to channel digital transformation services. Based on nearly four years of consulting experience assisting six large and medium-sized brand owners in channel digital transformation—from bidding, research, methodology, to implementation—it focuses on how system suppliers can better serve brand owners' digital transformation, while also illustrating what channel digital tools brand owners actually need.
高级研究员 海游From Strategy to Tactics: How to Implement Seven Channel Digitalization Strategies?
FMCG companies' channel digitalization has reached a critical stage, but actual implementation results are not ideal. The outcomes have not effectively generated performance growth or organizational efficiency, and there are no corresponding evaluation standards. In the execution process, most companies emphasize management over empowerment, using digital tools to increase supervision of distributors and salespeople, which reduces their reasonable control space, while failing to provide sufficient empowerment, leading to intensified game-playing and internal friction. This article offers seven marketing strategy recommendations for FMCG manufacturers and distributors in the channel digitalization empowerment phase.
高级研究员 海游Everyone Calls for Distributors to Communicate and Learn More, But What Exactly Should They Learn?
The first step in my consulting work is always market research, and a key part is in-depth interviews after visiting distributor markets. In the past year or two, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon: distributor bosses born in the 1980s and 1990s have deeply realized that learning ability is the primary productive force, and they are willing to invest time and money, but the results are often unsatisfactory. As one post-90s second-generation distributor said: "I want to change the status quo, increase sales and profits. I've bought many books, attended many courses, and participated in many study tours organized by brand owners. It's not that they have no effect, but I always feel that fragmented knowledge points cannot be condensed into more valuable things for practical implementation and monetization." Today, I will briefly sort out the logical framework for distributor learning, focusing on the business and operational issues that distributors care about most.
高级研究员 海游In the Deep Water and Hot Fire of the FMCG Market, How Can Distributors Make Money?
In the challenging FMCG market, distributors can improve their situation by following five principles: letting go to make money (doing subtraction), improving human efficiency through digital management, learning to make money through diversified exchanges, and more. The article details these strategies and announces the upcoming Fifth China FMCG Conference and First China FMCG Distributor Conference.
高级研究员 海游Is Offline Business Getting Harder? Has 'Terminal is King' Failed?
Many distributors are asking how to manage outlets to achieve 'terminal is king'. The answer lies in eight characters: outlets, display, visits, and sell-through. This article elaborates on these four extremes, covering strategies for outlet management, display optimization, visit excellence, and sell-through maximization, and discusses the interplay of 'dao' and 'shu' in execution.
高级研究员 海游Is the Relationship Between Salespeople and Store Owners Worth Anything?
Stores are where products are sold, serving as the link between products and consumers, and are the most critical link in product distribution. Winning stores means winning the market, and seizing stores has become a key to marketing success. However, stores require good relationships (keqing), and with strong relationships, greater sales can be achieved. In past reports by New Distribution on distributors, especially during the three years of pandemic lockdowns, many distributors who invested in relationship-building saw positive results, avoiding losses and even growing against the trend. China is a society that values personal connections, so in terms of salesperson skills, they are divided into three categories: attitude skills, relationship skills, and business skills. Among these, relationship skills are considered the most important, accounting for 80% of the factors in closing deals.
高级研究员 海游Tardiness and Absenteeism? Your Attendance System That Lets Employees Coast Is Dragging Your Company Down!
During recent market research, a common remark from sales teams is that when a company starts enforcing attendance, it signals decline, as thriving companies have no time to police attendance. While attendance itself adds no value or efficiency, it establishes rules and discipline. This article explains the significance of attendance for marketing teams, what to track, and key considerations for implementation.
高级研究员 海游The Old 'Inertia-Dependent' Relationship Between Manufacturers and Distributors Is Being Eliminated!
Having heard too many pseudo-experts say 'cut out the middleman' or 'remove distributors,' it's clear that any successful business model requires clear role division in the industry chain to maximize value. Simply put, the manufacturer's core value lies in 'marketing,' focusing on product development and brand promotion, while the distributor's core value lies in 'sales,' focusing on warehousing, logistics, and promotions. Especially for FMCG companies focusing on offline channels, brand owners must unite distributors to maximize brand and product power, which is particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises.
高级研究员 海游Money is Hard to Earn, People are Hard to Manage! This is a Common Ailment of FMCG Enterprises!
Distributor bosses often lament: money is hard to earn, and people are hard to manage. Indeed, over the past decade or so in the FMCG industry, many companies have exhausted their product innovation capabilities, leading to severe product homogenization and price wars. This has triggered a chain reaction: declining distributor profits, shrinking team incomes, and unstable staffing that degrades service quality. Strong brands survive on brand power, but new and weak brands struggle. A few years ago, Jinmailang's four-in-one model caused a stir in the FMCG circle, suggesting that the more decentralized the distribution rights, the stronger the initiative and market competitiveness. Many companies have since explored partner models to decentralize distribution rights, and some have found sustainable survival methods in the highly competitive FMCG industry. This article discusses partner recruitment.
高级研究员 海游In 2023, a Batch of Leaders in the FMCG Industry Will Fall
Continuous learning and exploration are the only way for executives to stay relevant, and the best choice for corporate development. This article discusses three essential capabilities for senior executives: global vision, balancing sunk and opportunity costs, and strategic thinking.
高级研究员 海游Surveying 15 Markets: How Do 20+ Distributors Optimize Their Organizational Structures?
Operating a business is about managing people; besides objective factors like timing and location, harmony among people is even more critical. This article, based on a survey of 15 regional markets and in-depth interviews with over 20 distributor owners and their professional managers, explores how distributors can build organizational structures that match their business status to reduce costs and maximize sales and profit contributions.
高级研究员 海游How Should Distributors Evaluate the Performance of Regional 'Small Bosses' in a Partnership Model?
This article discusses how distributors can effectively evaluate the performance of regional contractors, or 'small bosses,' in a partnership model. It emphasizes moving away from a 'contract and forget' mindset, and instead using structured performance metrics and incentives to guide and motivate these partners for sustainable growth.
高级研究员 海游The Five-Character Scripture for Dealer 'Small Bosses': Nurture, Support, Activate, Stabilize, Adapt
A stable team of small bosses is key to the success of a partnership model. Only by continuously delegating distribution rights can the initiative of frontline workers be fully unleashed, which is the only way to address both symptoms and root causes in today's competitive environment.
高级研究员 海游How Can System Suppliers Achieve a Soft Landing for Enterprise Digital Transformation?
Only by understanding the industry and the enterprise can system suppliers provide customized processes and outcomes. This article discusses the importance of product, method, and tool integration, field research, diagnosis, and systematic implementation for successful digital transformation in the FMCG sector.
高级研究员 海游From a Mom-and-Pop Shop to a Hundred-Person Team: How Can Distributors Maximize Their Team's Strengths?
Most 'outstanding people' are not generalists but specialists. During market research for a multi-billion-dollar company, the author visited distributors in several provinces and found that many had grown from small family operations into large teams. This article shares insights on evolving from a 'gang' to a 'team' to an 'organization,' effective motivation strategies, and how to maximize team strengths.
高级研究员 海游Why Is Your Distributor Team "Half-Dead" and How to Revitalize It?
Focusing on process metrics for distribution and sell-through, motivating distributor cooperation and employee enthusiasm is key to both treating symptoms and root causes.
高级研究员 海游Returning to Offline: The Battle in Township Markets Heats Up—How Can FMCG Manufacturers Get Involved?
As the market moves down, township markets are becoming key arenas for FMCG manufacturers to boost sales and profits. However, township consumers' mindsets differ from those in first- and second-tier cities, posing significant challenges for manufacturers. This article addresses the channel layout in township markets, covering efficient service to outlets, resource allocation, motivating distributors, and building distributor networks.
高级研究员 海游Lessons from the Viral Success of Zibo Barbecue for the FMCG Industry
The sudden popularity of Zibo barbecue was not accidental but the result of years of groundwork, following the pattern of online public opinion: incubation, formation, and diffusion. FMCG brands can learn from this in brand communication, focusing on strategic consistency, tactical alignment, and the density and form of communication, as well as in consumer experience, truly putting consumers first by addressing their real needs and expectations.
高级研究员 海游How Small and Medium Bottled Water Enterprises Can Operate 3-Yuan Water?
Recently, many photos of 3-yuan water hitting the market have appeared in my social media feeds, and after discussions with friends, I feel that many are still using the 2-yuan water approach for 3-yuan water, which will likely lead to failure. Indeed, over the past three years, consumers' health awareness has significantly improved, and their demands for water quality have risen. Coupled with the continuous guidance and education on water quality by companies like Nongfu Spring, Ganten, Kunlun Mountain, and Evergrande Spring, more entrepreneurs have clearly seen the development prospects of the bottled water industry, especially the mid-to-high-end segment. As a result, various water brands have sprung up like mushrooms, leading to fierce competition in the drinking water market, with most water companies ending up with poor results.
高级研究员 海游How Can SMEs Respond to Declining Sales in a Potential Market?
The three years of the pandemic served as a cover for many companies' declining sales and profits, allowing management to blame the pandemic. As the tide recedes, it becomes clear who is swimming naked. After the Spring Festival, I visited the market and saw a thriving restaurant industry, crowded hypermarkets on weekends, and long queues for leisure activities during holidays. It seemed that recovery was swift, and Chinese consumers' spending potential remained strong. Later, I learned that some companies achieved rapid growth in Q1 sales, with some brands even surpassing their 2019 performance. However, other companies performed poorly and seemed at a loss. Recently, two companies discussed with me their ongoing sales declines, and I have summarized some improvement measures to share.
高级研究员 海游From Deep Distribution to Precision Distribution: A Strategy for Incremental Change in Brand Channel Models
Brands in the FMCG industry face three common challenges: difficulty in recruiting quality staff, managing teams effectively, and maintaining high service quality at retail outlets. This article discusses shifting from traditional deep distribution to a more precise model, using Nongfu Spring's channel reform as a case study, and outlines a four-step approach for channel model transformation.
高级研究员 海游Channel Model Iteration from the Perspectives of Business and Operations
At the 2023 (8th) China FMCG Innovation Conference, Hai You, partner of New Distribution and expert in offline channel models, delivered a speech on channel model iteration. He analyzed the evolution of channel models from 1.0 to 6.0, emphasizing that the best model is the one that matches a company's own capabilities, and discussed operational upgrades such as efficiency, cost, scale, and consumer reach.
高级研究员 海游Returning to Offline: Outlets Need 'Targeted Therapy'
Zhu Xiaoqing recently discussed precise outlet distribution with a senior executive from a company's marketing management center. The executive reported that while outlet coverage met expectations, monthly activity rates fell short, especially for new SKUs, leading to outlet attrition. Zhu suggested a 'targeted therapy' approach, matching new products to appropriate outlets to maximize economic benefits.
高级研究员 海游Returning to Offline: Display Must Be Sales-Driven!
During the three years of the pandemic, the FMCG industry saw two major changes: first, the uncertainty of lockdowns led to a focus on orders, delivery, and inventory pressure, neglecting basic market actions like display and merchandising; second, the boom of community group buying and B2B, especially in 2021, made many practitioners feel the industry was changing, leading to a rejection of basic actions. This year, the primary task for FMCG manufacturers is to correct course and return to the basics, with display being a key skill.
高级研究员 海游