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
4637 articles · Page 9 of 194
Scene Marketing Takes the Stage, Taking Over from Deep Distribution
Deep distribution, proposed in 2000, has influenced Chinese marketing for over 20 years but is now ending. Scene marketing, with its single-wheel dual-drive mechanism, is set to take over and rebuild marketing momentum.
刘春雄Beneath the Surface, Above the Essence
At the 2025 Polaris Club Autumn Forum, Zhoupu Data's founder and CEO Max delivered a keynote speech titled "Beneath the Surface, Above the Essence," urging distributors to move beyond anxiety and blind action by returning to industry fundamentals and first principles. He emphasized that in a fragmented market, intermediaries remain essential, and that digitalization and customer-centricity are key to evolution and survival.
舟谱数据A Traditional Beer Distributor Ventures into B2b and Opens 7 Flash Warehouses
Recent surveys by New Distribution from 2023 to 2025 reveal that profit decline has become widespread among distributors, though revenue decline is narrowing. A case in point is Haochunte Trading in Zibo, which stabilized its traditional trade, launched a B2b platform, and entered instant retail with seven self-operated stores.
周群The Wisdom of bC Integration: Advance One Step, Retreat Half a Step
The earliest practitioner of deep distribution was TCL, much earlier than the FMCG industry. After TCL implemented deep distribution, many competitors imitated it, but most lost money due to high costs. TCL later revealed the secret: advance one step, retreat half a step. This means reaching deeper into the channel for sales growth while saving costs by retreating, achieving both volume and profit growth. The same wisdom applies to bC integrated user operations.
刘春雄Distributors Are Struggling—How Should This Year's Manufacturer-Distributor Annual Meeting Be Held?
As the annual distributor conference season approaches, manufacturers face the challenge of organizing meetings that address distributors' declining profits and shifting retail dynamics. This article suggests shifting from traditional sales-oriented meetings to 'awareness and information' sessions that help distributors understand external changes and internal management improvements, fostering confidence through shared understanding rather than mere slogans.
袁来When the Industry Struggles with 'Slow Sales', Why Can Xiangpiaopiao Create a 'Phenomenal Hit Product'?
Amid widespread industry anxiety over new products failing quickly, Xiangpiaopiao's launch of its original-leaf tea series, endorsed by Olympic champion Sun Yingsha, has become a phenomenal success. Through strategic value alignment, visible product upgrades, and heavy supply chain investment, the brand offers distributors a rare sense of certainty and a clear roadmap for long-term growth.
张雨薇2000+ New Beverage Products Unveiled, 10,000+ Professional Visitors Gather: 2025 Pin Yin Hui Autumn Innovative Beverage Exhibition Grandly Opens in Nanjing!
As beverage industry professionals grapple with the anxiety of 'difficult product selection and even harder sell-through,' and the stark contrast between stagnant warehouse inventory and viral channel hits on social media, the market urgently seeks a breakthrough. On October 11, that breakthrough emerged at the Nanjing Han Lu Lou Hotel with the grand opening of the 2025 Pin Yin Hui Autumn Innovative Beverage Theme Exhibition, injecting strong momentum into the sluggish market through its vibrant on-site atmosphere, deep trend insights, and precise, efficient business matchmaking.
品饮汇媒体中心Manufacturers Have Started Cutting Clients—Where Do Traditional Distributors Go From Here?
Recently, news that a company cut distributors with annual sales below 3 million yuan sent shockwaves through the FMCG industry. While some understand and others worry, distributors mostly complain. In the current stock competition, not just XXHa but almost all major FMCG manufacturers are proactively seeking change. Through communication with multiple manufacturer personnel, the author learned about changes in manufacturer distributor strategies.
金名Zong Fuli Resigns from Wahaha Again: Departure Is an Inevitable Choice
More than a year later, Zong Fuli has again resigned from her positions as chairman and other roles at Wahaha Group. On the evening of October 10, multiple media outlets reported that Zong Fuli had submitted her resignation as legal representative, director, and chairman of Wahaha Group Co., Ltd. on September 12, a decision confirmed through the group's shareholders' meeting and board procedures, with Wahaha also confirming the news to the media. Zong Qinghou may have believed that as long as his daughter was in charge, the family business would continue. But he overlooked that a succession without institutional safeguards is destined to be precarious. And Zong Fuli's own choices have accelerated this process.
New DistributionPremium Milk Prices Slashed!
Amid a deep industry adjustment, China's liquid milk market has seen a new wave of price cuts. In early August, Mengniu officially adjusted the price of its premium product, Deluxe Desert Organic Milk, from 118 yuan to 99 yuan per box, a 16% drop. Earlier in May, Telunsu had already cut dealer prices by over 5 yuan per box to boost dealer enthusiasm.
王莹10 Business Insights from Meeting 150 Distributors
Since 2023, I have annually summarized key insights into distributor businesses. This year, after engaging with 150 distributors through conferences and workshops, I present the 10 most critical observations, including the consensus that business has become harder, the opportunities and challenges of instant retail, and the shift towards more professional, company-like operations.
袁来Liberate Salespeople, Re-arm Salespeople
KPIs were formed during the mature phase of the market. This is not an article sympathizing with salespeople, but a deep dive into how brands and distributors can break free from deep distribution and enter a new growth track. Because it involves new growth models, it may be challenging to read. Liberate salespeople from inappropriate deep distribution KPIs, but re-arm them with better incremental actions to re-enter the growth track. Deep distribution KPIs have become the industry standard and have been effective for 20 years, so there must be a reason. The actions of deep distribution are not complex, but only industry leaders execute them best, primarily due to their strong management capabilities, which have rolled out a simple system nationwide, and the KPI system has been instrumental.
刘春雄Distributors' Business Strategies Must Change!
The FMCG industry is becoming increasingly difficult, with declining sales, rising near-expiry products, longer payment cycles, and chaotic market prices. Traditional distributors are facing shrinking markets and fierce competition. To survive, they must focus on their unique advantages, avoid common mistakes like blind expansion and head-on competition with strong rivals, and instead find weak points in competitors, leverage transferable core capabilities, focus on advantageous areas with refined operations, and appropriately contract their business lines.
金铭The Rise of Premium Ready-to-Drink Chinese Tea
Master Kong's limited Oriental Beauty tea showed how rare regional varieties, technical flavor translation, cultural storytelling, and a core evergreen portfolio can create a premium tier in unsweetened ready-to-drink tea.
New DistributionThe Abandoned Tobacco and Alcohol Shops
“I've been running a tobacco and alcohol shop for 15 years, and this year is the hardest. I really can't hold on much longer!” Recently, the author visited several tobacco and alcohol shops in parts of Shandong and found that the market is generally sluggish this year. During National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays in the past, shops would stock up by the dozens of boxes, but this year, owners are hesitant to stock up heavily yet afraid not to, feeling particularly tormented. Consumption has contracted, with group purchase orders down 70% and large-ticket consumption disappearing.
葛畅Zong Fuli's Second 'Self-Harming Strike'
Starting to endure and plan at 14, and formally counterattacking at 40, Zong Fuli staged a real-life short drama of 'the eldest princess returns for revenge.' This drama includes elements such as succession obstruction, inheritance disputes, and equity conflicts. However, reality is not a short drama, and Zong Fuli is not a protagonist with superpowers; all she can do is enter the game herself and engage in close combat.
最话团队White-label beverages 'ebb'? Increasingly rejected by terminal stores
This year, our system's procurement almost stopped sourcing white-label beverages, said Mr. Wu, a purchasing manager at a central China snack bulk retail chain. In a generally cold market, white-label products sell even worse. White-label beverages refer to small and medium brands between well-known big names and 'three-no' products, often in popular categories but cheaper, epitomizing 'extreme cost-performance'. In fact, entering any snack bulk store, one often sees...
擎苍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 DistributionZong 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Traditional 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