The
combination of distribution channels used by a firm in getting
its product to end users.
An individual
or firm other than producers and their employees, that helps to
distribute a product.
Intermediaries
who sell products to other businesses, who, in turn, resell them
to the final consumer.
Intermediaries
who sell products directly to consumers.
The path a
product follows from the producer to the end user.
A distribution
channel in which the product travels from the producer to the
consumer with no intermediaries.
Intermediaries
who represent a manufacturer and sell to wholesalers. Brokers
usually represent many companies and are independent of any one
producer.
The network of
distribution channel members involved in the flow of
manufactured goods to industrial customers.
An office
maintained by a manufacturer as a contact point with its
customers.
A distribution
strategy in which a product is distributed through as many
channels as possible.
A distribution
strategy in which a manufacturer grants the exclusive right to
distribute or sell a product to a limited number of wholesalers
or retailers in a given geographic area.
A distribution
strategy in which a company uses only wholesalers and retailers
who will give special attention to the product.
Conflict that
arises when the members of a distribution channel disagree over
the roles they should play or the rewards they should receive
for their services.
The channel
member that is most powerful in determining the roles and
rewards of the other channel members.
(VMS) A union
of several separate businesses to form a unified distribution
channel.
An independent
wholesaler that buys and takes legal possession of the goods
produced by a variety of manufacturers then resells these goods
to other businesses.
A merchant
wholesaler that provides credit, marketing, and merchandising
services in addition to the traditional buying and selling
services of wholesalers.
A full&-function
merchant wholesaler that sets up and maintains display racks in
retail stores.
A merchant
wholesaler that provides only a few wholesaling services.
A limited&-function
merchant wholesaler that receives orders from the customer,
negotiates with producers to supply the goods, takes title to
the products, and arranges for their shipment to the customer.
Large retail
stores characterized by their organization into specialized
departments.
Small retail
stores that carry one line of related products.
Retail stores
that offer special deals to customers.
Bargain stores
that sell a wide range of merchandise at low prices and that
seldom carry high&-priced items.
Bargain stores
that offer goods at a substantial price reduction in order to
generate a large sales volume.
Bargain stores
that buy the excess inventories of well&-recognized high&-quality
manufacturers and sell these products at discounted prices
Bargain stores
in which customers place orders for an item they have seen in a
catalog and pick up that item from an on&-premises
warehouse.
bargain stores
that are owned by manufacturers whose products they sell.
Bargain stores
that offer large discounts on brand&-name merchandise to
people who have paid an annual fee for membership in the club.
Retail stores
that offer easy accessibility, extended hours, and fast service.
Large retail
stores that offer a variety of food and food&-related items
divided into specialized departments.
Very large
retail stores that carry a wide variety of unrelated products.
The retail
practice of carrying any product that is expected to sell well,
whether or not it fits into the store's original product
offering.
A form of
nonstore retailing in which customers place orders for
merchandise shown in catalogs and receive their orders through
the mail.
Door to door
sells.
Selling to
consumers via standard and cable television.
A theory of
the evolution of retail stores that holds that low&-price,
low&-service stores gradually add services and raise prices
until they lose price&-sensitive customers. New firms then
enter the market to fill the gap for low&-price stores.
Those
activities needed to product efficiently from the manufacturer
to the ultimate consumer.
In personal
selling, the process of receiving an order and following through
on the handling and delivery of that order.
The total time
elapsed between the placement of an order and the receipt of
that order.
That part of a
product's distribution that is concerned with the storage of
goods.
Warehouses
that are owned by and provide storage for just one company.
Warehouses
that are independently owned and operated and that store the
goods of many firms.
Warehouses
that provide storage for extended periods of time.
Warehouses
used to provide short&-term storage of goods for which demand is constant and high.
The receiving
storing, handling, and counting of all resources partly finished
goods, and finished goods; the part of warehouse operations that
keeps track of what is on hand and ensures that an adequate
supply of a product is in stock at all times.
A method of
inventory control in which bar code labels are attached to
inventory items. Hand&-held scanners read the bar codes and
transmit the inventory data directly to a computer.
The
transportation, arrangement, and orderly retrieval of goods in
inventory.
A materials&-handling
strategy in which goods are transported and stored in containers
of a uniform size, weight, or shape.
A materials&-handling
system that uses computer&-guided vehicles to move, store,
and retrieve inventory and to keep track of inventory as it
enters and leaves the warehouse.
Shipping goods
on semi&-truck trailers on so that they can be easily
transported to customers after they arriveat their destination.
The combined
use of several different modes of transportation.
A method of
transportation in which goods are sealed in a container at their
source and not opened until they reach their final destination.
A nation's
system of roads, bridges, highways, waterways pipelines,
railroad tracks, and airline routes that permits products to be
transported from one point to another.
Truck lines
and railroads that transport goods for anyone wishing to make a
shipment.
A common
carrier that leases bulk space from other carriers, then resells
that space to firms making smaller shipments.
An independent
transporter that usually owns the vehicle that transports the
Products.
A manufacturer
or retailer that maintains its own transportation system.
