Page 426 - Foundations of Marketing

Marketing Channels and Supply-Chain Management | Chapter 13 393

exclusive distribution. Characteristics of the product and a. Shotguns for hunters
its target market determine the intensity of coverage a b. Women’s lingerie
product should receive. Indicate the intensity level best c. Telephone systems for small businesses
suited for the following products, and explain why it is d. Toy trucks for toddlers
appropriate. 5. Assume that you are responsible for the physical
a. Personal computers distribution of computers at a web-based company.
b. Deodorant What would you do to ensure product availability,
c. Canon digital cameras timely delivery, and quality service for your
d. Nike athletic shoes customers?
4. Describe the decision process you might go through if 6. Develop your analytical and communication
you were attempting to determine the most appropriate skills using the Role-Play Exercises online at
distribution channel for one of the following: www.cengagebrain.com.

Internet Exercise

FedEx
Many companies lack their own distribution systems. 2. Other than shipping products, what other services does
Firms in this situation may rely on the services provided FedEx provide?
by companies like FedEx to handle their distribution. 3. Is there information on the FedEx website that would
Learn more about the services provided by FedEx at help a potential FedEx customer evaluate FedEx
www.fedex.com . regarding some of the selection criteria shown in
Figure 13.3?
1. What tools does FedEx provide to make the shipping
process easier?

One of the key components in a successful marketing paths is most appropriate for your product. Given the
strategy is the plan for getting the products to your cus- nature of your product, could it be distributed through
tomer. To make the best decisions about where, when, more than one of these paths?
and how your products will be made available to the cus- 3. Determine the level of distribution intensity that
tomer, you need to know more about how these distribu- is appropriate for your product. Consider the
tion decisions relate to other marketing mix elements in characteristics of your target market(s), the product
your marketing plan. To assist you in relating the infor- attributes, and environmental factors in your
mation in this chapter to your marketing plan, consider deliberation.
the following issues: 4. Discuss the physical functions that will be required for
distributing your product, focusing on materials han-
1. Marketing intermediaries perform many activities.
dling, warehousing, and transportation.
Using Table 13.2 as a guide, discuss the types of activi-
ties where a channel member could provide needed The information obtained from these questions should assist
assistance. you in developing various aspects of your marketing plan.
2. Using Figure 13.2 (or 13.3 if your product is a business Develop your marketing plan online using the Interactive
product), determine which of the channel distribution Marketing Plan at www.cengagebrain.com.

Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.