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 9 of 193
From 'Spills on Opening' to the Code of Premium Quality: Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water Ignites a Nationwide Experiment Craze
UGC is the gold standard for testing product sell-through, and consumers are the best spokespersons. This view, shared by marketing expert Fang Gang at the 7th China FMCG Conference hosted by New Distribution, resonated with the audience. Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water's recent innovative marketing campaign is a vivid example. Facing consumer complaints like 'It spills every time I open it!' and 'Why is Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water so full?', the brand did not shy away but instead launched a challenge and scientific experiments, turning a small issue into a symbol of premium quality and driving both brand awareness and sales.
何雯Zong Fuli Makes Another Big Move
Zong Fuli, successor to Wahaha, plans to replace the Wahaha brand with a new brand 'Wa Xiao Zong' starting from the 2026 sales year, citing compliance issues. Dealers express strong opposition, fearing market rejection and financial losses, while the move is seen as part of a power struggle with other shareholders.
胡楠楠National Benchmark Distributor In-depth Study Tour - Ninth Stop: Quzhou Jiangshan · Zuolin Youlin / Shenghuo Yizhan, Concluded Successfully!
On September 19, the "National Benchmark Distributor In-depth Study Tour - Ninth Stop: Quzhou Jiangshan Zuolin Youlin / Shenghuo Yizhan" event concluded successfully! Over a hundred distributor and brand representatives from across the country gained a comprehensive understanding of Chichi Co., Ltd.'s innovative business model for its "Zuolin Youlin" and "Shenghuo Yizhan" convenience stores through in-depth theoretical sharing and on-site inspections, exploring how distributors can find new breakthroughs in retail and supply chains. At the event, Zhu Jun, General Manager of Chichi Holding Group and founder of Zuolin Youlin / Shenghuo Yizhan, along with Yuan Lai, Chief Content Officer of New Distribution, jointly delivered inspiring industry insights and practical strategies.
New DistributionTraditional Distributors at a Crossroads: Going Digital Is No Longer a Choice, but a Matter of Survival
As online sales of FMCG products now account for over one-third of total sales and consumers shop across an average of seven channels, traditional distributors must transform from mere suppliers into service providers and enablers. Drawing on the '2025 China FMCG Distributor Business Survey Report' and the experiences of four pioneers, this article outlines why digitalization is essential, what it entails, and how to implement it successfully.
李文君WendyTwo-Person Team, 40 Million in Sales in Four Months: A Wave of Distributors Rushes into a New Channel
In the past, distributors could rely on wholesale volume, but now they struggle to maintain scale and see profits eroding. As middlemen, they are caught between upstream and downstream in traditional channels, squeezed by brand direct supply and shrinking margins. Many turn to e-commerce, but most fail due to high costs and operational mismatches. However, on Dewu, some distributors and brands have found a new business logic: small teams, low costs, and high profits, leveraging trends like gift boxes and seasonal products.
佑全90% of Distributor Owners Don't Know How to Run a Morning Meeting
Many distributors face labor costs as their biggest operating expense, making it urgent to improve personnel efficiency and performance. As a key hub connecting brands and terminals, the morning meeting is far from a routine formality. A well-run morning meeting injects vitality into the team, driving performance, stability, and operational optimization. This article discusses how to run an effective morning meeting, addressing the root causes of low personnel efficiency.
高级研究员 海游Deep Distribution Boosts Sales but Falls into the 'Low Human Efficiency' Trap
When a rising FMCG company adopts the 'deep distribution' model, it gains a competitive edge but inevitably falls into the 'low human efficiency' trap. How to break through? The answer lies in the cyclical changes of the industry.
黄伟亮Manufacturers' Terminal Promotion Positions Are Disappearing
Terminal promotion positions at FMCG companies are being eliminated or downsized as digital tools and skilled sales reps take over their functions. Companies are shifting from crude, resource-heavy promotions to precise, systematic, and value-creating activities that better align with market and consumer needs.
金名40 Years of Agitation in China's FMCG: There Is No New or Old Retail, Only Retail That Understands Consumers
Over the past 40 years, China's distribution channels have undergone dramatic changes. We are at a crossroads of accelerating brand elimination, continuous channel iteration, and emerging new technologies, with rapid change. On August 19, at the 7th China FMCG Conference, Wu Dinian, founder of Mingdi Investment/Mingdi Empowerment, reviewed the 40-year evolution of China's channels under the title 'Channel Transformation X Product Innovation.' Using the growth of companies like Master Kong as a starting point, and drawing on his decades of practical experience traveling across China's urban and rural markets, he outlined the upgrade path of wholesale and retail, as well as the core driving forces behind it.
吴迪年A Super Single Product with Tenfold Monthly Growth: What Did Maizima's No-Cook Pasta Do Right?
A distributor from Taizhou, Zhejiang, shared, "After two years of cooperation, Maizima's products are well-loved by our long-term customers, with a great product reputation. Their sales reps often help us open new distributors, making the partnership pleasant, and we never worry about inventory." In today's market flooded with products, a 'good product' recognized by distributors is a scarce resource. As a convenient and healthy fast-food brand under strategic investment from Genki Forest, Maizima is committed to providing consumers with safe, high-quality table solutions. The brand has repeatedly received international recognition, including the 'Global Taste Award' from the International Taste Institute in Belgium...
赵胜男Du Guoying: Making Chinese Tea Younger and Faster
At the 7th China FMCG Conference held in Shanghai, Du Guoying, founder and chairman of Xiaoguan Tea, delivered a keynote speech on how Chinese tea can become faster and younger. He discussed the complexity and simplicity of Chinese tea, the three cups of tea (milk tea, tea drinks, and whole-leaf tea), and Xiaoguan Tea's strategy to 'fast-digest' Chinese tea through innovations like steeped tea, sugar-free tea drinks, and smart tea brewers.
杜国楹Declining Terminal Sales, Wasted Expenses: FMCG Manufacturers Are Being Dragged Down by 'Store Efficiency'
Store efficiency for FMCG manufacturers refers to the sales efficiency and operational effectiveness at terminal stores, serving as a key indicator of market performance. Those who effectively improve store efficiency gain a competitive advantage. This article discusses three key metrics for improving store efficiency: store efficiency = area efficiency + personnel efficiency + cost efficiency. It provides methods for improving area efficiency, such as understanding store capacity and share, adjusting product assortment, optimizing displays, and implementing promotions.
高级研究员 海游A Practical Guide to Business Improvement for Distributor Upgrading and Breakthrough
In 1995, Carrefour entered China, marking the start of the first 30 years of the offline FMCG economy. Now, as 2025 arrives, the second 30 years have begun. Facing challenges from new retail formats like snack stores, e-commerce, and instant retail, how can traditional distributors escape the fate of being mere 'porters' and move from 'surviving' to 'thriving'? At the 5th Distributor Conference on August 21, Mr. Yang Bofan, founder of Bofan Consulting, delivered a keynote speech titled 'A Practical Guide to Business Improvement for Distributor Upgrading and Breakthrough', sharing real-world data and case studies.
杨博帆No Outsourcing, No Big Spending! 600K+ per Livestream: How a Distributor Leverages Short Videos to Master Local Business
During a recent deep-dive study tour organized by New Distribution, a distributor was spotted efficiently creating and posting a short video while touring a warehouse, gaining significant traffic. This inspired an in-depth look at how Huang Jie, GM of Putian Quanshan Trading, uses short videos and livestreams to drive offline sales, achieving 20% of her nearly 100 million yuan revenue from online conversions, including a single livestream sales of over 1.3 million yuan during the 618 promotion.
葛畅Zhenshimei's Innovative Practice in Building a New Type of Supplier-Retailer Relationship
Amid the transformation of the FMCG industry, the role and value of distributors are being redefined. At the 5th China Retail Innovation Conference on August 20, Zhou Xu, Vice President of Biyoute Commercial Group and Co-founder & General Manager of Zhenshimei Supply Chain Management Company, shared his insights from a year of practice. He emphasized that the future of FMCG supply chains lies in building a 'symbiotic relationship' beyond traditional transactions.
周旭2-Person Team, 11 Million in First Month: The Neglected Blue Ocean Channel for Distributors Is Booming
Distributors are squeezed between upstream pressure and downstream retail disruption, but a new blue ocean channel on Dewu is offering low-cost, high-profit opportunities. With no ad spend, a two-person team achieved 11 million yuan in sales in their first month, and many have seen rapid growth by tapping into the platform's 500 million young users.
汪海How Lee Kum Kee Turned a Chef Show Into a Brand Experience
Lee Kum Kee used a nationally distributed chef competition to connect professional authority, human food stories, home cooking, restaurant experience, instant delivery, and social participation in one content-to-commerce loop.
New DistributionFreeing Salespeople from KPI Traps
At the 7th China FMCG Conference hosted by New Distribution, the former chairman of China Resources Beer proposed 'freeing distributors and salespeople,' which resonated deeply. Salespeople are trapped by endless visits and reports, unable to escape KPI constraints. The industry's KPI 'consensus' is actually counterintuitive, as most 'consensus' behaviors are contrary to common sense.
刘春雄Big Brands Can't Find Distributors, While Small Brands Quietly Take Market Share
A regional manager from a major FMCG company lamented that low entry barriers have allowed third- and fourth-tier brands to erode sales of leading brands, leading to sluggish growth in dairy, beer, and beverages. The rise of regional small brands has exacerbated the challenges for big brands, which are losing ground in both distribution and promotion.
金名Distributor Efficiency and Consumer Recognition: How Yangmu Dairy's Omnichannel 'Two-Way Empowerment' Reshapes the Goat Milk Ecosystem
In the goat milk industry's special development stage of 'high growth, low concentration', channel construction is becoming the key to breaking through. Euromonitor International data shows that in 2024, China's goat milk market reached 123.7 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 18.6%, but the industry CR5 (top five companies' market share) is only 37%. The deep contradictions during the industry transformation highlight the decisive role of channel networks in shaping the industry landscape—when companies use omnichannel coverage to turn products from 'scarce goods' into 'daily consumer goods', they can not only reduce distributors' market development costs by over 30% but also build competitive barriers through collaborative efficiency. In this channel revolution, Yangmu Dairy's practice provides a typical model for the industry.
何卉纭“I'm an old hand born in the 1980s, still struggling in the FMCG sea of bitterness”
Lao Wang is truly a veteran in the FMCG industry, having joined right after graduation and now with 16 years of experience. "Lao Wang, your performance is lagging. What's going on? Can you still do this?" Just exiled to a remote market, Lao Wang was publicly questioned by his leader at the monthly meeting for poor performance. "I don't want your excuses; I want results. If you don't catch up next month, you can leave on your own," the leader said impatiently. This is a common tactic in the FMCG industry to force old employees to resign voluntarily: assigning them to remote markets, markets without customers, or markets where predecessors left big problems...
金名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 Ten-Dimensional Impact of the Food Delivery War on Distributors
As food delivery subsidies roar, the noise obscures the seismic shifts affecting distributors who underpin the retail 'ground network.' This is not a simple traffic shift but a rewrite of channel rules. In this war seemingly focused on dining, what are distributors losing, and what defensible or attackable business opportunities remain? Brands are directly connecting with platforms, flattening channels.
赵波New Distribution Ren Wenqing: The Fall of the 'Selling Field' and the Rise of the 'Buying Field'
At the 5th China FMCG Retail Innovation Conference held in Shanghai on August 20, 2025, Ren Wenqing, CEO of New Distribution, delivered a keynote speech titled 'From Price War to Matching War: Understanding the Logic of Production-Supply-Marketing Transformation Behind Retail Noise.' His core viewpoints: 1. The 'selling field' is falling, and the 'buying field' is rising. 2. Price competition has reached its limit; the next focus is matching. 3. Brands should adjust not product specifications but their industrial role positioning and organizational logic. This article is a core summary of the speech.
任文青Andy