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.
Related research and analysis
4620 articles · Page 40 of 193
Returning to the Offline Fundamentals: What Are the Four Core Capabilities for Distributors?
Amid repeated pandemic outbreaks, economic downturn, weak markets, consumption downgrading, and rising raw material costs, distributors face uncertainty. The article argues that when the future is unclear, distributors should focus on their fundamentals—the things that cannot be changed, taken away, or lost—and outlines four core capabilities: sales basics, market basics, team leadership, and the distributor boss's learning ability.
高级研究员 海游In the New Environment, Requirements for Distributors Will Only Get Higher!
The article discusses how distributors must enhance their capabilities to thrive in the current market, featuring stories of three distributors who expanded across categories, focused on selling premium products, and leveraged operational management skills to grow their businesses.
袁来"Arbitrageurs" Stumble in Shanghai's Clearance Market
In a warehouse on Shanghai's Jialing Road, a box of Genki Forest milk tea has been sitting for over a month at 20 yuan, a fifth of its original 109 yuan price, yet few are buying. Zhang Wei, who entered the "clearance market" four months ago, is one of many newcomers facing unsold stock and logistical hurdles, while veterans warn that the industry is evolving beyond just low prices.
周月明Pros and Cons: Should Distributors Do Private Domain?
This article discusses whether distributors should engage in private domain operations. It presents two approaches: direct team operations and collaboration with small B partners, highlighting the value beyond sales, such as consumer education, precise marketing, and optimizing product mix.
任文青AndyWhere Will Business Growth Come From in 2022?
Amid repeated pandemic disruptions, FMCG companies and distributors face a slow market, yet some achieve counter-trend growth by seizing opportunities in crisis. This article shares four distributor cases and announces the 2022 China FMCG Channel Innovation Conference themed 'Seize the Opportunity, Stabilize the Market'.
田静Manufacturer-Dealer Game: Where Does the Dealer's Voice Lie?
A dealer's voice is not about who has the final say, but about achieving mutual benefit. Dealers can strengthen their position by developing scale, channel control, operational capability, and digital proficiency, making themselves indispensable to brand owners.
高级研究员 海游The Profit Model of Beijing Tiantang Supermarket Bar
Amid recurring COVID-19 outbreaks in Beijing, Tiantang Supermarket Bar became a new epicenter, with 166 infections reported by June 12, spanning 14 districts and the Economic-Technological Development Area. The bar's business model, known for low prices, diverse beer selection, self-service, and social atmosphere, has been both a success and a liability during the pandemic.
李光斗What Does Digitalization Really Mean for Distributors?
Distributors need digitalization not as an option but as a necessity. Based on interviews with over 60 top distributors, New Distribution found that digital transformation is essential for growth, enabling better data-driven decisions and efficiency.
周群The Worse the Economy, the Hotter the Discount Stores
Discounted products like 2-yuan sparkling water, 6-yuan Japanese biscuits, and 10-yuan shampoo are attracting consumers amid economic downturn. As the pandemic dampens consumption, discount stores such as HotMaxx, Hi-Tego, and Elephant Life have emerged and expanded rapidly, becoming a rare bright spot in the new consumption track. HotMaxx, founded in April 2020, opened nearly 400 stores in just 1.5 years with annual sales in the billions, and its valuation surged over 100 times to $500 million by end of 2021.
荆玉How Should Distributors Think Deeply and Build Momentum for Growth During Epidemic Lockdowns?
A distributor in a county-level city called to ask how to handle a sudden lockdown that halted his planned market push for a new beverage brand. The article advises using the downtime to review data, outlets, team, and hardware, and to prepare strategically for post-lockdown growth.
高级研究员 海游On New Distribution's Article "How Can New Products Seize the Key Moment of Sell-Through?"
Where does the 'anxiety' of launching new products come from? Using beverages as a case study, the article explains that this anxiety often stems from problems encountered during new product launches: how to distribute? Why won't small shop owners stock up? Small shop owners report poor sales, leading to loss of team confidence and ultimately failure. These issues reflect the 'moving but not selling' situation that brands face in real life, as no brand can continuously invest marketing expenses for a new product, and once marketing stops, sales stagnate—a challenge many brands have encountered or are currently facing.
习丌𠙶Six Things Needed for Products to Sell Through
Insight is the foundation of product development, requiring a deep understanding of consumer motivations and behaviors. A good insight must cover six key elements: scenario, category, brand, product, channel, and communication, which together determine a product's market success.
赵波The Dividend Period of Marketing Digitalization: Finding Increment in the Stock
Zhu Chaoyang, with 17 years of marketing career, shares his insights on marketing digitalization, emphasizing that it is not about overturning traditional marketing but upgrading it. He discusses common misconceptions, the necessity driven by changing consumption environments, and practical steps for implementation, including starting with minimal viable products and fostering cross-departmental collaboration.
习丌𠙶Today, All FMCG Manufacturers Are Children of Winter
In 2022, we are all children of winter. This phrase comes from a recent dialogue between Mr. Liu Run and Mr. Wu Xiaobo, who said, 'No transformation is achieved amid applause; every great enterprise is a child of winter.' With the repeated pandemic and economic downturn, almost all FMCG companies and distributors have become children of this winter. To survive, they must seize opportunities and stabilize their core business, as discussed in the upcoming 2022 China FMCG Channel Innovation Conference.
陈思廷Training | How Can Brand Personnel Communicate Efficiently with Distributors?
Most discord between manufacturers and distributors stems from communication, especially at month-end when brand salespeople face performance pressure and distributors face cash flow and inventory pressure, leading to frequent arguments and fallouts. This article explores the underlying logic of efficient manufacturer-distributor communication, including the four factors of fact, viewpoint, stance, and belief, and emphasizes the need for brand personnel to elevate their thinking dimensions from linear to multi-dimensional to better serve distributors of varying scales.
高级研究员 海游How Can New Products Seize the Key Moments of Sell-Through?
A new product's sell-through is determined by two key factors: per-store sales volume and the number of outlets. Even a bestseller like Coca-Cola averages only 4-5 bottles per store per day, so expectations for new products should be realistic. The key is to find differentiated channels and maintain effective outlets through regular visits, while also leveraging experiential marketing at critical moments to drive purchases.
冯瑶Poor Warehouse Management Leads to Annual Losses!
This is a real case of a milk powder distributor in Sichuan. The boss started from scratch in 2009, revenue exceeded 50 million in 2011, and he aimed for 100 million in 2013, but the company was deregistered in 2019 and the boss changed careers. The company's rise and fall over a decade offers a glimpse into the broader challenges. Early on, due to the well-known Sanlu melamine incident, domestic milk powder was overshadowed by imported brands. The distributor quickly rose by representing original imported milk powder from New Zealand and Australia, opening high-end supermarket systems like Ito Yokado and Renhe Spring in Sichuan.
天天From Doubendou's Growth Trajectory: How Distributors Should Choose Products
In the food and beverage industry, distributors often worry about the fleeting nature of many internet-famous brands, which may disappear after a short period of popularity due to inconsistent quality and unreliable supply. Therefore, distributors must learn to be selective, and the key is to establish a screening mechanism for information sources. Taking Doubendou as an example, this article explores the standards distributors should use when selecting products and whether the soy milk market is worth entering.
田静Distributors: Run a Controllable Business and Keep the Money in Your Own Pocket
Often, a company's sudden collapse is not due to accidents or major business mistakes, but rather the accumulation of small problems that are usually overlooked. If managing a business is like driving a car, do you, as the boss, truly have control over every aspect from the accelerator to the brakes? In the third episode of the 'Growth Amid the Epidemic' live stream series on May 17, New Distribution invited Mr. Pan Wenfu, who has years of experience in guiding distributors' internal management optimization, to discuss how to manage a company well. The core insight he shared was the importance of running a controllable business, which involves control over upstream brand relationships, internal sales staff, and downstream customer relationships.
郑一鸣Dealer Boss, Why Can't Your Team Win Battles?
The pandemic persists, and businesses are struggling with high inventory and cash flow issues. Yet some companies adapt quickly and grow despite the crisis. The key difference lies in organizational capability—the ability to turn ideas into action and results. This article explores what organizational capability is, how it grows, and how to improve your team's signal-to-noise ratio to win battles.
任文青AndySeven Major Trends in the Future Development of Distributors
The resurgence of COVID-19 outbreaks has put distributors, who were already struggling, under renewed pressure. However, this article is not about the business challenges under the pandemic. Outstanding and capable distributors have always emerged through rounds of market changes and harsh environments. Facing business fluctuations, operators should always be rational optimists: optimism is the business mindset, while rationality is the business science. By understanding industry trends and adhering to correct, professional, and optimistic business practices, as long as you stay on the right path and persist, for distributors, this is just a test on the road to distant success.
袁来Amid Recurring Pandemic, How Can Distributors Achieve Counter-Trend Growth Under Heavy Pressure?
The COVID-19 pandemic has entered its third year of recurrence, with outbreaks since mid-March affecting nearly 30 provinces, from Shenzhen and Guangzhou to Jilin and Shanghai, and now Beijing and Zhengzhou. In this normalized pandemic environment, distributors face severe challenges such as market disruptions, declining sales, and inventory backlogs. Without good experience sharing, many distributors struggle to find effective methods and strategies, leading to significant business losses.
周群Dealers at the Epicenter of the Pandemic: How to Adapt and Grow Against All Odds?
Amid the recurring pandemic, dealers face uncertainty and disorder. Many complain about sluggish markets, but one dealer, Gao Jingjing, general manager of Beijing Guoyingjian Trading Company, has achieved growth despite the challenges. Her company, established in 2002, partners with over 10 well-known domestic and international brands, covering more than 3,000 retail clients in Beijing.
郑一鸣Why Are Distributors Not Making Money?
Distributors' business efficiency is the core issue. When asked about their current business, most distributors say it's getting harder due to e-commerce and the pandemic, but the real problem lies in outdated business models and system structures. Only by changing the business structure and system elements can distributors achieve sustainable growth.
袁来