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Articles by 袁来
Browse 256 New Distribution articles by 袁来.
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256 articles · Page 1 of 11
The Era of Manufacturers Relying on Blockbuster Products Is Over!
As I've been researching private labels and talking with retailers, brands, and factories, I've felt increasingly that the era of relying on a single blockbuster product and a one-size-fits-all assortment is over. Retailers are now asking not just about fees and margins, but whether a product truly fits their customers and stores, signaling the arrival of a 'one channel, one product' era.
袁来Blindly Visiting Stores Won't Work for Frontline Sales!
Recently, while preparing for the AI Application Forum at the CFC conference at the end of the month, I've been engaging in intensive discussions with brand owners about AI applications. The feedback I've received can be roughly divided into three stages. The initial stage involves administrative tasks like meeting minutes, customer service replies, contract review, and bid document generation. The intermediate stage includes applications like internal knowledge bases, image recognition for store inspections, consumer demand insights, and sales report analysis, where some small business scenarios start to be addressed. From my interactions, most companies are still in these first two stages.
袁来7 Sourcing Models Behind Private Labels of Sam's Club, Aldi, and Trader Joe's
As I've traveled recently, I've found that the debate over whether to pursue private labels has ended, and the focus has shifted to how to do it. The key is not product selection or pricing, but sourcing: where your products come from and how you obtain them. This article breaks down seven sourcing models identified by Kearney, from OEM to joint procurement, and argues that true differentiation comes from control over the supply chain, not just the model chosen.
袁来Benchmarking Against Sam's Club Member's Mark: China's Private Label Lags by at Least 9 Years
After systematically reviewing the development histories of Sam's Club's Member's Mark and Costco's Kirkland Signature, I believe most Chinese retailers' private label efforts are still at the stage Sam's Club was in around 2017—brand consolidation and quality standard definition. Member's Mark has evolved over 28 years, with its true rise occurring in the last decade, offering valuable lessons for Chinese retailers.
袁来No Advertising, No Sales Team, No Display Fees: How Can Retailers Succeed with Private Labels?
This article originates from a conversation with a brand executive. After hearing my view that private labels are a trend and brands should proactively co-create with retailers, he retorted: 'The logic seems off. We spend over a year on R&D, hundreds of millions on advertising, and deploy thousands of stores, distributors, and promoters to launch a new product, yet the success rate is less than 10%. How can retailers, with nothing, succeed with private labels?' This article explores why retailers can succeed and what it means for brands.
袁来Private Labels Are Phasing Out Retailers That Merely Rent Out Shelf Space
Private labels are being both mythologized and underestimated: the hype is high, but the difficulty is lowballed. This article argues that success requires whole-chain collaboration, not just a retailer's effort, and announces the first China Private Label Industry Chain Conference in Hangzhou on June 4-5, 2026.
袁来Major Release | Instant Retail Lightning Warehouse Supply Chain (Distributor) Map
At the CFC Conference held in Chengdu from March 16-18, 2026, the Second Instant Retail Supply Summit Forum took place on March 17. During the forum, Yuan Lai, Chief Content Officer of New Distribution, released the "2025-2026 Instant Retail Lightning Warehouse Supply Chain Partner Map." This year's forum focused on answering who should provide controllable supply, and the map categorizes distributors into four types based on coverage and assortment logic.
袁来Business Insights from Meeting 200 Distributors
As we greet the new year, I'm Yuan Lai from New Distribution. Before the new year, I gave a one-hour internal sharing session on the moat of distributor businesses at the Tower Alliance annual meeting (an alliance of 553 distributor supply chain organizations, abbreviated as 'Tower Alliance'). The following combines the content of that sharing with my latest thoughts. As the saying goes, the whole year's work depends on a good start in spring. I hope this article can bring some inspiration and thinking to more distributors in their business layout at the beginning of 2026. Let me start with the conclusion: Today's competition among distributors is shifting from 'who can supply better' to 'who can manage products better'.
袁来Prices Collapse, Channel Distribution Logic Changes!
As the saying goes, 'Seeing this letter is like seeing me.' I'm Yuan Lai from New Distribution. Over the past year, which word has been mentioned most frequently by frontline sales managers? Price, I think it's definitely number one. Although it existed before, it was more about online e-commerce and wholesale markets. But now, discount savings supermarkets, regional supermarkets, instant retail flash warehouses, and community fresh food chains are all in chaos, comparing prices with each other, with no lowest price but only lower! What to do about price chaos? Should we launch a new specification or packaging? That might only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. I think we should look at it from a more fundamental perspective...
袁来Small and Medium Supermarkets: The Core of Distributors' Business Growth in the Next 2-3 Years
As we stand at the beginning of 2026, looking back at 2025, distributors have had a tough time. Maintaining sales without decline and achieving slight growth is already commendable, but most distributors have seen their profits decline. Based on market visits and data, the key to future growth lies in small and medium supermarkets and community mom-and-pop stores, which offer significant incremental opportunities through multi-category product portfolios.
袁来Only 'Category Management' Is the Real Moat for Distributors!
As the year-end approaches, distributor conferences are underway. After visiting many distributors, the consensus is that business is tough, but growth comes from expanding channels and store counts. The key insight is shifting from brand agency to category management, which is what downstream retailers truly need.
袁来Heavyweight | First Batch of TOP Daily Chemical Flash Warehouse Distributors Inventory
In 2025, instant retail competition shifted from consumer traffic to supply chain restructuring, making flash warehouses the new terminal. Brands must partner with professional flash warehouse distributors who possess product assortment, warehousing, distribution, and operational capabilities. This article profiles the first batch of TOP daily chemical flash warehouse distributors, highlighting their regional concentration, scale, and evolving role, and advises brands on how to leverage them.
袁来Without Controlling Supply and Stabilizing Prices, Brands Can't Succeed in Instant Retail!
Recently, discussions with industry peers on the development of instant retail flash purchase business have led to a consensus: the 'infrastructure' of instant retail is complete, and the next phase must shift from 'how to sell' to 'how to sell better.' The first half of instant retail was a battle over fulfillment infrastructure; the second half is a battle over the supply-side system. If brands continue to focus mainly on marketing while neglecting the supply side's 'poor, chaotic, and uncontrollable' issues, they risk being marginalized on the limited shelves of instant retail.
袁来Brand Owners Can No Longer Resist Low Prices!
The retail industry is undergoing dramatic changes, with price competition intensifying both online and offline. Brand owners are losing control over pricing and product assortment as retailers adopt new models like store renovations, instant retail, and discount retail, forcing a shift from confrontation to collaboration.
袁来Distributors Are Struggling—How Should This Year's Manufacturer-Distributor Annual Meeting Be Held?
As the annual distributor conference season approaches, manufacturers face the challenge of organizing meetings that address distributors' declining profits and shifting retail dynamics. This article suggests shifting from traditional sales-oriented meetings to 'awareness and information' sessions that help distributors understand external changes and internal management improvements, fostering confidence through shared understanding rather than mere slogans.
袁来10 Business Insights from Meeting 150 Distributors
Since 2023, I have annually summarized key insights into distributor businesses. This year, after engaging with 150 distributors through conferences and workshops, I present the 10 most critical observations, including the consensus that business has become harder, the opportunities and challenges of instant retail, and the shift towards more professional, company-like operations.
袁来Supplying 6,000 Community Stores with a Bold Promise: Lowest Prices
Yuan Lai from New Distribution visited a unique distributor in Jiangshan County, Zhejiang, who unified the storefronts and supply channels of 6,000 mom-and-pop stores, promising the lowest market prices. The company, Chicheng Shares, with annual sales over 1.2 billion RMB, achieved this through exclusive brand partnerships and a closed-loop system that benefits both stores and brands.
袁来Major Release | 2025 China FMCG Distributor Business Status Survey Report
From August 19-21, 2025, the 7th China FMCG Conference, the 5th China FMCG Retail Innovation Conference, and the 5th China FMCG Distributor Conference grandly opened in Shanghai! At the distributor conference held on August 21, Yuan Lai, Chief Content Officer of New Distribution, and Li Wenjun, Partner of New Distribution Research and Consulting, released the "2025 China FMCG Distributor Business Status Survey Report" (hereinafter referred to as the Report). Currently, the FMCG industry is facing multiple challenges such as the rise of new channels, offline retail transformation, intensified market competition, and changes in consumer demand...
袁来The Channel Distribution Dividend in FMCG Has Completely Ended!
Nestlé Greater China's H1 2025 results show a 4.2% organic growth rate, prompting management to rethink its strategy. They acknowledge that past growth relied on pushing products into distribution channels, leading to high inventory, and are now shifting to a consumer-pull model. This signals a fundamental change in FMCG sales logic, with three key signals: supermarkets moving from selling shelf space to selling products, the rise of private label brands, and widening market stratification.
袁来6000 Mom-and-Pop Stores Franchised: Both Retailer and Distributor, the Practice of Chicheng Supply Chain
Chicheng, a low-profile company, operates 6,243 franchised convenience stores under the brands Zuolin Youshe and Shenghuo Yizhan, ranking 7th in CCFA's 2024 Top 100. It acts as both a retailer and a distributor, supplying over 400 brands and 9,000 SKUs to its stores, with annual sales exceeding 1.2 billion yuan. The company's success hinges on a 'market lowest comprehensive price' strategy and a growth flywheel that attracts more franchisees.
袁来Is Instant Retail a Revolution or a Farce for FMCG?
As the hottest topic in the industry, instant retail is reshaping FMCG markets. This article explores its impact beyond subsidies and order volumes, focusing on how it dilutes planned consumption, shifts search logic, and changes distribution efficiency, with insights from experts and a dedicated forum at the 7th China FMCG Conference.
袁来Small dealers rely on luck, medium dealers on management, large dealers on direction
Hello friends. I'm Yuan Lai from New Distribution. Small dealers rely on luck and courage; medium dealers rely on management and professionalism; large dealers rely on direction and choice. These are some insights I've recently summarized based on the scale of dealers' business volume.
袁来In the Future, Only These 3 Types of Distributors Will Survive!
As the retail landscape undergoes drastic changes, distributors must transform into operators. The future belongs to three business models: regional category operators, retail channel operators, and B2b platform operators. This article explains these models and urges distributors to adapt strategically.
袁来Distributors, Don't Bet Your Life on B2b Platforms!
Yuan Lai from New Distribution shares insights from visiting B2b supply chain platforms across various cities, emphasizing that distributors should not risk everything on B2b platforms. Instead, they should build on their existing trading business and proceed cautiously, with the article offering ten core recommendations for success.
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