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Articles by 赵波
Browse 345 New Distribution articles by 赵波.
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345 articles · Page 11 of 15
What Exactly Is the Relationship Among Manufacturers, Distributors, B2B Platforms, and Small Retail Shops?
As an emerging industry, B2B is widely discussed, yet there is no unified understanding of the roles and relationships among the various parties. Few people analyze the relationships among brand owners, B2B platforms, distributors, and retail stores from a supply chain perspective, including B2B entrepreneurs themselves. Many entrepreneurs habitually define B2B as a competitor or substitute for distributors when assessing their role in the supply chain. Most brand owners, however, treat B2B as just another channel, similar to CVS or a special channel. Many brand owners attempt to promote new products through B2B, and many B2B platforms hope to prove they have the same functions as distributors by promoting new products. Regardless of the promotional results, there is a cognitive error here.
赵波90% of Distributors' B2B Models Are Wrong
The author frequently discusses B2B transformation with distributors, identifying common business models that often fall into logical traps. He warns that most of these models are flawed, leading to issues like high costs, low efficiency, and unsustainable subsidies, and suggests that B2B is not an industry but a supply chain service system. He promotes a study tour to help distributors gain deeper insights and avoid these pitfalls.
赵波Dealers' Unified Warehousing and Distribution City Logistics May Be the Biggest Business Opportunity in the Next Three to Five Years
In the past two years, the economic downturn and the impact of many B2B platforms have led many dealers to lament that business is difficult, prompting many to consider transformation. Focusing on existing stock, most dealers believe that unified warehousing and distribution city logistics is a relatively good model. Of course, many dealers with keen business acumen have already started using their own base traffic to get involved, as FMCG is a major part of city logistics. Through multi-dealer unified warehousing and distribution, they can reduce their own logistics costs while gaining more business benefits. Unfortunately...
赵波Unveiling JD New Route's 618 Street: Exploring the Future of E-commerce
On May 25, JD.com launched its 618 mid-year shopping festival, with over 30,000 small and medium stores nationwide displaying banners for the event. New Distribution interviewed retail expert Bao Yuezhong, who highlighted three key aspects of JD New Route's 'Crazy 618' promotion, including brand manufacturers' increasing focus on B2B distribution, the expanding reach of small retail stores, and the seamless integration of online and offline consumer experiences.
赵波How Did Dianda, an FMCG B2B E-commerce Platform Focused on the Yangtze River Delta, Achieve Rapid Profitability Without a 'Go Big Fast' Approach?
The upgrade and transformation of convenience stores and the optimization of supply chain efficiency have become the most frequently discussed new topics in the industry in the past two years. Many B2B e-commerce platforms, including giants, have joined the fray, making the market red-hot. However, for distributors, whether a platform has sustainable profitability and a mature operational growth system remains one of the basic criteria for assessing its reliability. The author recently visited Dianda Mall in Shanghai and had an in-depth exchange with its chairman, Rui Yun, about Dianda's model. Through the exchange, the author learned that Dianda Mall has already covered 18 cities nationwide, and more than half of its early self-operated cities have achieved sustained profitability.
赵波Yineng's 'Hitching a Ride' Revelation: How Should FMCG Enterprises Bet on Transformation?
The boom of B2B platforms in 2016 made many brand owners consider partnering with these platforms. However, due to issues with existing distributor channels and stock, as well as concerns that B2B platforms might not provide one-stop solutions like traditional channel distributors, most brand owners merely observed without taking action. Some brand owners also refrained due to internal reasons such as team issues or unfamiliarity with B2B. Honestly, the author had similar concerns, but recently, through communication with the Xintonglu team, a real case changed this view. This article shares how a regional brand achieved 12 times sales growth in the same period through Xintonglu.
赵波The Underlying Logic of Distributors' Internet Transformation
In recent years, sales of mainstream products in most FMCG categories have stagnated or declined, prompting many distributors to pursue horizontal expansion through category diversification. However, distributors recognize that horizontal expansion alone is insufficient; they must deeply study transformation. This article explores the underlying logic of distributor transformation, emphasizing the need to understand consumer changes, redefine distributor value through vertical supply chain services, adopt content marketing, achieve digital transformation, and drive change through organizational reform.
赵波Exclusive Interview with Guangzhou No.1 Life: No Traditional Industry Cannot Be Transformed by the Internet
The author had a two-day exchange and market visit with Tan Xiaoping, founder of No.1 Life, in Guangzhou, gaining an in-depth understanding of the company's current model and status. Surprisingly, with a product markup rate of only 5.2%, a single warehouse can achieve profitability.
赵波Opening 1 Million Stores? You're Underestimating Brother Dong!
On April 10, JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong announced a "Million JD Convenience Store Plan" on Toutiao: within five years, JD will open over one million JD convenience stores nationwide, half in rural areas, covering every village. This is the third offline partnership project after the 10,000 JD Home Appliance Stores plan, with another offline-online integration project kept confidential. The announcement quickly dominated media headlines, prompting questions about its implications, which the author explored by consulting JD New通路.
赵波Where Does the Core Competitiveness of Self-operated B2B Lie? Insights from Shuhai Supply Chain's Business Model
On April 9, the author had an in-depth exchange with Gong Li, COO of Shuhai Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd., in Beijing. Through the discussion, it was found that Shuhai's business model is worth learning for the B2B industry. This article explores where the core competitiveness of self-operated B2B lies, using Shuhai Supply Chain as a case study.
赵波New Distribution Zhao Bo: This Era Requires Distributors to Evolve into New Supply Chain Species
On March 21, 2017, the 2017 (2nd) China FMCG + Internet Conference was held in Chengdu, attracting thousands of distributors, manufacturers, and internet companies. Zhao Bo, chief editor of New Distribution, delivered a speech analyzing the industry's current situation and future trends, based on extensive research and the '2017 FMCG B2B Blue Book'.
赵波Is Unified Warehousing and Distribution the Best Entry Point for Distributors Entering B2B?
Many distributors consider starting with warehousing and distribution when entering B2B, as they are most familiar with this segment and have resources at their disposal. However, this may not be the optimal approach. Challenges include insufficient scale for individual investment, difficulties in forming alliances, the shift from mobile sales to order-based sales, thin margins in FMCG logistics, and the flawed logic of building a transaction platform on top of warehousing. The core of B2B lies in supply chain organization and incremental growth, not just warehousing.
赵波Why Are Some Manufacturers Unwilling to Support B2B Platforms?
The article discusses the challenges B2B platforms face in logistics and operations, including high logistics costs due to low order density and value, and the difficulty in achieving good gross margin structures. It argues that platforms must consider the full value chain and assist manufacturers in balancing supply and demand, as manufacturers are reluctant to fully support platforms that cannot replace the functions of traditional distributors.
赵波Detailed Explanation of Matching Model B2B Platforms in the FMCG Industry
With the rise of FMCG B2B in recent years, various platforms have emerged, but they generally fall into two models: matching or self-operated. This article details the matching model, its variations, industry distribution, and pros and cons, along with financing and registration data.
赵波2017: The Perils and Opportunities for Distributors
In 2017, distributors face both dangers and opportunities. The dangers include business decline, blind expansion, management chaos, and financial disorder, leading to cash flow breaks and even 'running away'. However, the rise of FMCG B2B platforms presents a chance for transformation, and distributors who adapt can thrive.
赵波How Are Distributors Being Killed by B2B?
Recent media reports have highlighted B2B platforms engaging in cross-regional selling, disrupting local distributors' sales. This article argues that such practices will become the norm, and distributors must understand the underlying trend: B2B platforms will eventually replace traditional distribution channels by leveraging technology and data, making distributors obsolete.
赵波Matchmaking vs. Self-operated: Which B2B Model Is More Efficient?
The essence of B2B is to improve supply chain efficiency through internet transformation. However, many B2B platforms have not improved efficiency through technological transformation or compressing levels; instead, their operating costs remain high. This article analyzes the relationship between different products and models, and which operational model is most efficient, based on the underlying logic of supply chain: products, warehousing and logistics, and models.
赵波Major Start-of-Year Insight: Under Consumption Upgrade, B2B Replacing Distributors Is an Irresistible Trend!
The just-concluded 2016 saw China's economic transformation significantly impact shopping patterns, with declining sales of traditional FMCG products becoming the norm. From 2011, instant noodle sales fell for five consecutive years, dropping 12.5% in 2015; beer declined 1.4% year-on-year from January to October 2016, with over 20 months of decline only halting in November. Beverages also suffered, as Uni-President's 2016 interim results showed a 2.4% revenue drop, partly due to its beverage segment. This article argues that consumer behavior has fundamentally changed, making traditional channel-dependent marketing obsolete, and that B2B platforms, with their data-driven transparency, efficiency, and precision, are the inevitable future for distributing new, personalized products.
赵波Liu Qiangdong Supervises New Channel: Anniversary Report Targets 5 Million Small Stores
JD's New Channel business unit, established on December 16 last year, was designated by Liu Qiangdong as the group's top priority project for 2016, with Liu personally overseeing it. Targeting nearly 10 million small and medium stores in lower-tier cities, the unit has now completed its first year, signing cooperation agreements with major brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Qiaqia, Modern Farming, Six Walnuts, Beiersdorf, Dongfang Tianyuan Grain & Oil, Charm Kitchen, Zhi Pu Mo Fang, and Shandong Jingzhi. At the event, it reviewed its annual performance and launched the Huiyan system.
赵波Can FMCG B2B Really Compress the Supply Chain and Eliminate Middlemen?
In 2016, B2B e-commerce was booming, with Alibaba and JD.com entering the market and achieving notable results. Platforms aimed to improve efficiency by compressing the supply chain and eliminating middlemen. This article analyzes whether FMCG B2B can truly achieve this, arguing that while B2B can improve physical distribution efficiency, it fails to address communication efficiency in the channel, and for certain low-value, high-frequency categories, eliminating middlemen may be difficult. However, for many other categories, B2B can replace and compress links if certain conditions are met.
赵波Where Are the Category Boundaries for FMCG B2B Platforms?
There are nearly 2,000 B2B platforms in China, covering various industries and models, but many believe their platforms can solve all problems. However, after a year of visiting and studying various platforms, the author found that B2B, like B2C, has boundaries; not all categories are suitable for B2B, yet most B2B practitioners seem unaware of this.
赵波JD.com Opens Its Logistics Network: A Decade of Sharpening the Sword, First to Eliminate Distributors!
On November 23, JD.com announced that its logistics arm would fully open its small, large, and fresh cold-chain networks to merchants. From a B2B perspective, this move is set to reshape the FMCG industry by enabling a highly flattened supply chain, potentially bypassing traditional distributors.
赵波2016 Distributor Labor Cost Survey
The era of explosive low-end consumption and endless sales growth ended in 2013. Since then, sales have declined, and distributors face rising labor costs and operational pressure. This survey aims to understand the current labor cost situation and provide a reference for distributors nationwide.
赵波Can Distributors Still Increase Sales by Adding More People and Vehicles?
In the FMCG industry, sales managers generally know that the most direct way to increase a distributor's sales is through promotional stock-piling and adding more people and vehicles. By stock-piling, distributors are forced to sell at low prices to quickly recover capital, while adding more people and vehicles, even dedicated personnel and vehicles for specific products, enhances terminal sales and service capabilities, driving sales growth. For distributors with sales below 20 million yuan, adding people and vehicles, if managed well, can lead to significant regional sales growth, mainly because their channel power is not fully released and requires more people and vehicles to achieve saturated market coverage. This type of growth driven by increasing hardware (people/vehicles) is called "quantitative growth." However, when sales reach 20-30 million yuan, most distributors find that despite following the manufacturer's requirements to add people and vehicles, sales growth is not obvious, costs rise, and profits decline or even turn to losses.
赵波