NEW DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH TOPIC
How can distributors keep growing across fragmented channels?
Front-line analysis of product selection, organization, channel strategy, profit models, and business transformation for FMCG distributors.
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4620 articles · Page 28 of 193
As Spring Festival Approaches, How Should Distributors Handle Inventory Pressure?
As the Spring Festival approaches, distributors face significant inventory pressure. This article discusses strategies for transferring inventory pressure, clearing channel inventory, and achieving a successful start to the new year.
高级研究员 海游Downgrading is Lazy Governance!
Labeling a complex environmental change with a simple 'downgrade' tag is lazy governance. Recently, I discussed several topics about the macro environment with friends, including self-rescue in quagmires, the unexpected success of Dongfang Leaves, and a listed company's strategy to increase dealer profits by 3-5 percentage points. The key is to focus on opportunities rather than problems, as success comes from seizing opportunities, not just solving problems.
刘春雄The Ceiling of a City Distributor's Business: 50 Million, 100 Million, 300 Million, or 1 Billion?
This article explores the maximum scale a distributor can achieve in a local city market, considering factors like offline-only operations, focus on prefecture and county-level cities, and excluding top-tier cities. It argues that while many distributors believe 30-40 million is the ceiling, with strategic category expansion and supply chain innovation, reaching 500 million is possible, and the industry holds significant growth potential.
袁来Don't Let Digitalization Become a Burden for Distributors
Digitalization is a double-edged sword. As channel digital terminal software becomes more prevalent, brand owners increasingly require distributors to use their terminal systems, but this often burdens distributors and their sales staff. To succeed, digital transformation must be based on empathy, balance, and a focus on managing tasks rather than people.
高级研究员 海游“Seizing Share, Boosting Sales”: The Battle for a Strong Start Begins—How Can FMCG Manufacturers and Distributors Break Through?
As the Chinese New Year approaches, FMCG companies are gearing up for the annual 'strong start' campaign. This article offers practical incentive strategies for distributors, wholesalers, retail outlets, and staff to boost performance during this critical period.
邢仁宝Distributors Becoming B2b Platform Operators: Great Opportunities, but Also Great Risks!
Transitioning to B2b is both an opportunity and a challenge. Recent visits to the Sichuan market show many distributors planning B2b layouts, seeing it as an opportunity, but they have concerns about using their own funds. This article shares insights on these issues. Currently, B2b is trending toward rational operations, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Using internet technology to improve operational efficiency and optimizing profit through supply chains is inevitable in FMCG development.
高级研究员 海游Inventory Clearance in 2023: Can We Travel Light in 2024?
Grasp the macro trends, manage marketing actions aligned with those trends, and continuously accumulate marketing successes; quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. In the era of self-media, it's common to follow media buzzwords in marketing, which can be both beneficial and harmful. At year-end, industry and professional fields select top ten phenomena, often based on media buzzwords. If I were to pick the most overlooked marketing phenomena of 2023, I'd choose 'inventory clearance' and 'difficulty in recruiting distributors (or launching new products)', which are interrelated.
刘春雄Tangchen Jiesen & Liangmi Group Strategic Signing: Building a New Omnichannel Marketing Pathway for New Retail
Exploring market opportunities and expanding into the northern market, the two companies join forces to achieve complementarity, mutual benefit, and win-win outcomes.
JaneAs Spring Festival Approaches, How Should Gift Box Distributors Stock Up This Year?
With only about forty days until Spring Festival, the annual gift box sales season is upon us. This year, the market shows mixed signals: while rural areas remain strong, urban consumers increasingly prefer value over packaging, and many retailers are cautious about stocking up. Distributors should focus on high-end gift boxes for loyal customers, maintain flexible inventory for low-end products, and adapt to changing consumer habits by integrating online and offline channels.
高级研究员 海游10 Pitfalls to Avoid for Distributors Becoming Local B2B Platform Operators
The key to a distributor's sustainable business is achieving distribution coverage of retail stores. This article provides 10 practical guidelines for distributors planning or already operating local B2B platforms, based on real cases and lessons learned.
袁来Genki Forest's Return to Tradition: Becoming 'Partners' with Distributors
Genki Forest has outlined four principles for cooperating with suppliers: 'partnership, closeness and clarity, cost reduction, and openness.' After a year of institutional refinement, organizational restructuring, and direct communication, equality, integrity, and transparency are now the new definitions of the 'partnership' between Genki and its distributors.
林辰重磅｜TOP500中国经销商供应链联盟年度会议暨相信年轻人集采交流会圆满成功！
On December 19, 2023, the Top500 China Distributor Supply Chain Alliance (referred to as "Tower Alliance") successfully held its "2024 Tower Alliance Annual Work Conference and Believe in Young People Collective Procurement Exchange" in Beijing. The event brought together the five founding units, over 50 member units, and the core team of "Believe in Young People" invested by Challenger Capital. The morning session focused on the annual work review and 2024 planning, while the afternoon featured the alliance's first collective procurement exchange.
New DistributionBaijiu Industry in 2023: The Trouble of 'Inventory'
The Chinese baijiu industry faced significant inventory challenges in 2023, leading to price inversions and postponed expos. Companies employed various strategies like supply control and marketing to destock, with mixed results as the industry transitions from active to passive inventory reduction.
Kyra“External Pressure, Internal Efficiency”: Reflecting on 2023, the Uncertainties Facing Distributors' Business
As 2023 draws to a close, New Distribution has been actively engaged with distributors throughout the year. In May, preparations began for a distributor membership organization, leading to the official establishment of the Distributor Membership Club in June, which recruited over 200 outstanding regional distributors in less than two months. In August, preparations started for the first China FMCG Distributor Conference, which concluded successfully in October, where the club was upgraded to the Tower Alliance. In September, a survey on the operating conditions of Chinese FMCG distributors was initiated, involving nearly 300 distributors, and the "2022-2023 China FMCG Distributor Operating Conditions Survey Report" was officially released in October. In December, plans are underway for the first member representative assembly of the Tower Alliance and the formulation of key activities and work content for 2024.
周群Year-End Sprint: How Should FMCG Manufacturers and Distributors Execute?
In late October, China's Q3 economic data showed improvement in retail and service consumption, yet FMCG brands presented a mixed picture. For manufacturers and distributors, the first post-pandemic year-end requires stabilizing existing business while seeking growth. Using the beverage industry as an example, this article offers insights on aligning goals, rational rewards, data-driven analysis, problem-solving, and leveraging festivals to win the final sprint.
邢仁宝Behind Lao Gan Ma's Declining Performance: Has the 'Big Distributor System' Reached Its End?
According to the 'Top 100 Private Enterprises in Guizhou' list, from 2016 to 2021, the revenue of Guiyang Nanming Lao Gan Ma Flavor Food Co., Ltd. (hereafter 'Lao Gan Ma') was approximately 4.549 billion yuan, 4.447 billion yuan, 4.389 billion yuan, 5.022 billion yuan, 5.403 billion yuan, and 4.201 billion yuan respectively. In particular, in 2021, Lao Gan Ma's revenue hit a six-year low, down about 22.25% year-on-year from 2020. Given the current market conditions, Lao Gan Ma is facing unprecedented challenges, especially its long-held 'big distributor system' channel model, which seems no longer suitable for the current era.
调料人都在关注的County-Level Distributors Transforming to B2B: A Practical Path from Zero to One
Facing extreme pressure from manufacturers and clients, many distributors are struggling to survive. Jia Yongshun, general manager of Xuzhou Jintong Food Trading Co., Ltd., successfully transformed his traditional distribution business into a local B2B supply chain platform, achieving daily sales of over 20,000 yuan and covering more than 1,000 small stores. This article shares his practical experience and strategies for other distributors considering B2B transformation.
李锋Instant Hit: Jinmailang's "Green Beef" Noodles Swim Against the Tide
A city distributor sold 10,000 units of Jinmailang's zero-fried noodles in a single month, while a county-level distributor moved 1,000 units monthly. The viral Douyin trend for banmian (board noodles) is part of Jinmailang's "0-Fried Healthy Noodles" series, now in short supply online and offline. Amid post-pandemic sales declines, Jinmailang's Lanfanfan zero-fried line is bucking the trend, backed by 20 years of R&D and a bold green packaging strategy.
AmyGenki Forest: A Long Farewell
If a company only starts considering gross margin three years after its founding, and only rethinks its distribution channels six years later, is it too late? Different industries may have different answers. Generally, a three-year-old company is still a startup. In the tech and internet industry, many companies don't even consider revenue, let alone gross margin. However, a startup in the ancient FMCG industry, facing competitors like Coca-Cola, one of the most powerful brands on Earth, is quite bold to ignore gross margin for three years and not systematically think about channels until after six years.
房煜Distributors Need Not Worry Too Much This Year, Because Next Year Will Be Even Harder
Distributors are facing increasing competition and shrinking profit margins as the market shifts from growth to stock. New models like snack hard discount and lightning warehouses are eroding their market share, and many are struggling to meet sales targets. To survive, distributors must focus on covering existing channels thoroughly, embracing new channels, identifying growth brands and categories, and optimizing their organizations.
周群Oriental Leaf Makes a Comeback, China's Richest Man Rakes It In
The taste of tea hasn't changed; it's consumers' mindset and palate that have evolved. A beverage distributor told me that Oriental Leaf is the only brand that's truly hot, with people seeking it out rather than the other way around. After researching its history, I concluded that the only long-termism in the world is having money.
IC实验室How Did These Discount Store Franchisees Lose Their Money?
As the hottest retail format of 2023, hard discount has indeed attracted attention. New Distribution has always believed that the discount model will be one of the important retail models in the future. At the same time, we also note that 'low price' is the most impactful competitive means in current retail competition, but the skill of 'making money with low prices' is not easy to master. In a new business form, a large proportion of the first wave of pioneers often become martyrs. The purpose of this article is to remind brand owners, distributors, and discount store franchisees not to only see the opportunities of the hard discount trend, but also to be aware of its huge traps at this stage.
陈思廷Solidifying Channels and Holding the Market, Genki Forest Is Growing into a Forest
Genki Forest's official WeChat account describes itself as 'from a seed to a forest.' Indeed, born in 2016, Genki is striding forward from a seed to a forest, and industry evaluations are becoming more favorable: Genki Forest is one of the few new consumer brands that has successfully transitioned from online to offline, solidified its channels, and held its market. The company has done two things right: it proposed the slogan 'reduce costs, increase efficiency, all in on sales,' unprecedentedly valuing distributors and co-building the market with them; and it continues to innovate in category dividends...
田静From B2b Transformation to Discount Retail: The Self-Revolution of Traditional Distributors!
Discount retail is a hot topic, with snack discount stores expanding rapidly and traditional retailers and brands exploring how to adapt. Distributors are feeling the impact directly, as aggressive expansion of snack stores has led to significant sales declines. Yu Xiuwei, founder of Tangshan Yihe Trading, shares his journey from traditional distributor to B2b platform and then to launching a local discount chain, offering insights on whether hard discount is a challenge or opportunity for distributors.
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