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 53 of 193
The Siege of Distributors: Is the Modern Channel a "Chicken Rib" or a "Treasure Bowl"?
Every time distributors sign contracts with modern channels like hypermarkets and supermarkets, some are happy and some are worried. For many distributors, cooperating with hypermarkets has become a chicken rib—discarding it is a pity, but eating it is tasteless. In recent years, many distributors have accelerated their exodus from hypermarkets. However, some distributors treat the modern channel as a treasure, achieving high profits with high-margin products and new items, where 10% of sales volume contributes 20% or more of profits.
李锋Dealer Transformation: Don't Fear the Pain!
The topic of dealer transformation has been widely discussed, but true transformation requires investment, causes sales fluctuations, meets employee resistance, and brings pain to the boss. This article outlines five structural growth strategies for dealers: changing business models, applying digital tools, embracing external platforms, pursuing innovation, and expanding through mergers.
袁来A Comprehensive Analysis of Shihuituan
Shihuituan is a community group buying startup focused on fresh produce, aiming to participate in all household daily purchases and supply. The company sees vast potential in the fresh food market due to high-frequency demand, pain points in lower-tier markets, and the efficiency of direct supply chains. With plans to expand to 3 million pickup points in three years, Shihuituan targets a trillion-yuan market, positioning itself as a leading fresh food distribution channel.
万德乾A Realistic Look at the Soy Milk Market
A journalist's investigation reveals that despite optimistic industry reports, the actual soy milk market in China is struggling, with low distribution and consumer acceptance, as many consumers prefer milk at similar prices. The article highlights challenges in consumer perception, usage occasions, and category value, suggesting that the industry needs long-term efforts to educate consumers and develop the market.
陈峰Distributors Trapped in "Involution": Why So Many Covet Such a Tough Business?
Excess population competes for limited resources, yet development stagnates, remaining at a low level of repetition, forming "involution." Currently, distributors are trapped in a state of "involution," with intense competition for existing resources while still following the same old paths from a decade ago... The first to introduce the term "involution" into China was a historical sociologist returning from overseas, named Huang Zongzhi. In 1985, Huang published a book titled "The Peasant Economy and Social Change in North China," which mentioned that China's peasant economy, with excessive labor and limited land, formed an "involutionary growth."
道农What Exactly Are You Relying On to Make Money? Do You Really Know?
Recently, I held a private board meeting with a brand's manufacturer and distributor. I asked the question: What exactly does a distributor rely on to make money? Everyone quickly answered that they rely on price differences, but I pointed out that there are two angles to this question: the profit model and the business model. The key is not whether you earn a price difference or service fees, but what you rely on to earn that price difference.
刘润City Manager's Playbook: Distribution and Sell-Through Strategies for Low-Frequency Daily Chemical Products in 6 Million Small Stores
After a day of visiting dozens of small stores under the scorching sun, Lao Wang and his team review their findings. Facing complaints about slow-moving shampoo and price inversion on laundry detergent, Lao Wang insists on changing distribution and sell-through strategies. The article analyzes the trends of small stores (convenience, platform, community) and provides targeted solutions for city managers to tackle the challenges of low-frequency daily chemical products.
许翔 Ryan XuDistributors Without Digitalization Won't Go Far!
Will online platforms gradually replace distributors? I think this is a false proposition; distributors exist because they have value. Online platforms and network marketing won't have much impact on distributors, but one thing is certain: the distributor community will accelerate its shakeout, leading to a winner-take-all phenomenon. As the distributor community develops, competition becomes increasingly fierce, and in this process, they encounter many obstacles: chaotic product management, severe warehouse damage; declining market stock, rising transaction costs; unclear job performance, increased labor costs; severe e-commerce impact...
袁健How Long Has It Been Since You, a Battle-Scarred Veteran, Walked the Market?
Distributors have mostly built their businesses step by step, having experienced the days of walking the market. Now that many have achieved sales in the tens of millions, the author asks: how long has it been since you last walked the market? Market inspection is crucial; without it, all efforts are in vain. This article outlines key inspection dimensions and standards, emphasizing that inspection is not about distrust but about ensuring execution and improving results.
李锋What Is the Essence of Channels?
A distributor worries about losing the brand's business, but the essence of a channel is the ability to scale reach to potential consumers at low cost. Channel innovation means achieving lower-cost scaled reach, and distributors should accurately recognize their core competency and continuously refine it.
刘润“Do Market Work in the Off-Season, Achieve Sales in the Peak Season” Is Not Just Empty Talk!
With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approaching, many FMCG products will enter the off-season afterward, such as grain and oil, and snacks. What should distributors do when the market enters the off-season? The best way to deal with the off-season is to keep moving. I have always believed that there is only an off-season mindset, not an off-season market. In an industry, all distributors face the same situation: if it's off-season for you, it's off-season for others, so the key is the mindset. Distributors need to come up with ideas and plans to get their sales staff moving; only when people move can the market move! -01- Seize demand...
李锋Retired Teacher Starts Bread Business at 60, Earns Family Over 20 Billion Yuan
How to achieve a large market value in a small track? In just over a decade, Taoli, a small bakery founded by a retired teacher, has won the title of 'China's first bread stock'. Why could Wu Zhigang, who had an unremarkable early life, create a company with a market value of up to 40 billion yuan after retirement?
华商韬略Online and Offline: Converging Paths in the Era of Digital Intelligence
This article explores the digital-intelligence new infrastructure in the FMCG industry, emphasizing that it is not just a slogan but requires long-term, meticulous craftsmanship. It is intended for brand owners, distributors, wholesalers, convenience stores, supermarkets, urban warehousing and distribution service providers, SaaS practitioners, new media marketers, and consumers who care about business upgrades and enjoy increasingly better products and services.
数智化商业研究员More Than Half of Distributors Don't Realize Its Importance: The Right Way to Hold Employee Meetings
Distributors often hold regular meetings, but many lack a clear logic or approach for using them to drive marketing execution. Some owners feel meetings are ineffective, don't know what to discuss, or even consider them a waste of time. Whether meetings are a waste depends on how well you utilize them to achieve your goals. First, understand the main functions of meetings: 1) Communication; 2) Problem-solving; 3) Unifying thinking. The most important is unifying thinking and aligning goals. This article provides guidance on daily, weekly, monthly, and annual meetings.
李锋Brand Owners & Distributors—Terminal Systems: Use with Caution!
As internet technology continues to penetrate the FMCG industry, digital empowerment is increasingly valued by enterprises. Most manufacturers have entered the shallow waters of digital transformation, gaining 'clairvoyant' insights and enabling products and services to reach further down the chain. Terminal systems, essential for market operations, have proliferated with various competitive strengths, yet they also bring confusion to all manufacturers. This article discusses terminal systems from a personal perspective, emphasizing that while they are crucial for data collection, their core logic should focus on tasks rather than personnel management, and their true value lies in enabling precise and authentic data-driven decision-making.
高级研究员 海游The Gap Between a Distributor with 30 Million in Annual Sales and One with 300 Million May Just Be Channel Downward Extension: Down to Towns and Villages!
Recently, terms like 'channel digitalization,' 'channel diversification,' and 'business online' have become hot topics in the distribution industry. This article shares personal insights on channel diversification, emphasizing that distributors must adapt to changing consumer behaviors and expand from single to multi-channel operations. It highlights the importance of penetrating traditional channels down to village levels and leveraging fresh food supermarkets as key growth opportunities.
李锋Baidu AI Drives the Second Growth of "Deep Distribution"
Baidu AI Cloud is accelerating industrial intelligence upgrades, offering solutions for the FMCG industry to transform from traditional extensive distribution to precise deep distribution, thereby driving a second wave of growth.
New DistributionFive Online Initiatives to Drive Digitalization in the FMCG Industry
The digitalization of the FMCG industry faces three main challenges: the large proportion of offline revenue, the monopolistic e-commerce ecosystem in China, and the low ARPU (average revenue per user) leading to low customer loyalty. Liu Zhao, founder of Waiqin365, proposes that digitalization should focus on five online initiatives: market activities, channel orders, distribution inventory, personnel, and customers. These initiatives aim to enhance management capabilities, optimize offline channels, and gain a competitive edge in the digital era.
提升企业销售效率AI-Driven Perfect Market Closed Loop
Trax, one of the earliest companies in product image recognition, founded in 2010, now processes over 1.5 million stores in more than 90 countries daily, converting product displays, promotional materials, and sales activities into readable structured digital assets for real-time, transparent sales operations and decision support. Although online business is growing rapidly, offline remains the mainstay, with about 3.3 million stores in China's urban areas.
Mike WangEarning 400 Million in Six Months During the Pandemic, with Gross Margins Outperforming Haitian Flavoring, Will Wujiang Pickled Mustard Continue to Raise Prices?
In the pickled mustard industry, Fuling Zhacai holds an absolute leading position. Although there are competitors like Tongqianqiao, Yuquan, and Lameizi, none can shake its industry status. Currently, Fuling Zhacai is the leading enterprise with the highest market share. If the name Fuling is vague, the ubiquitous Wujiang pickled mustard is certainly familiar, once a staple on green trains. Fuling Zhacai primarily engages in the research, production, and sale of convenient foods such as pickled mustard, radish, pickled vegetables, and other side dishes, and is the largest enterprise of its kind in China.
财天作者Fenxiang Xiaoke's Li Jie: Digitalization Brings New Dividends to "Deep Distribution"
At the 2020 (3rd) China FMCG Conference, Li Jie, Vice President of Products at Fenxiang Xiaoke, discussed why brands are refocusing on deep distribution in 2020 and how digitalization can enhance it. He introduced a "gamified" deep distribution model that emphasizes empowerment, motivation, and efficiency, supported by digital tools and AI.
李杰Exclusive | Launching Officially in September, Yangyuan Takes Over Red Bull Anaji Operations!
New Distribution exclusively learned that on September 1 (today), Yangyuan Beverages held a mobilization meeting at its headquarters to officially begin operations of Red Bull Anaji under Thailand's TCP Group. Red Bull Anaji is the first new Red Bull product launched by TCP Group in China after the licensing dispute with Reignwood's Red Bull. Yangyuan Beverages, known for its 'Six Walnuts' product, is a major player in the northern Chinese market. This partnership signals a strategic move by TCP to leverage Yangyuan's strong distribution network in the north to boost Anaji's sales, intensifying competition in the energy drink market.
澄韵With New Retail Here, Does the Industry Still Need Wholesale Markets?
At the 2020 (3rd) China FMCG Conference, Chang Junjie, founder of Pidao, shared his views on wholesale. He argues that wholesale markets act as a battery for the market, remain essential despite retail channel evolution, and will transform into data-driven, decentralized operations.
小批Genki Forest: The Overlooked Offline Distribution Capability
This article from WeChat public account Internet Arena (internet-war) discusses how Genki Forest, a new beverage brand, has successfully expanded offline distribution in convenience stores and supermarkets, leveraging data-driven decisions and strong marketing to compete with giants like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Despite challenges, the brand's focus on offline channels and product quality has helped it gain market share, though it still faces hurdles in sustaining growth and competing with established players.
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