The Evolution of Distribution Channels for Consumer Goods

Susan A. Shaw and John A. Dawson

Chapter 4 in Marketing in Evolution, 1998, pp 55-78 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract The choice of channels of distribution is fundamental in establishing the strategic direction for a business. The decision on channel affects the assortment and characteristics of goods made available to the final consumer and the processes by which they are made available (Ce-spedes, 1988–9). The choice of channels used has a major impact on the totality of the processes performed by the business and its overall performance in the market. The inclusion of a chapter on channel evolution and the theory of channel management therefore complements other chapters in this volume. We hope that it helps to redress partially what Michael Baker (1992) has suggested is an unjustly neglected topic in marketing. The purpose of the contribution is twofold: first, to provide a summary analysis of the ways in which distribution channels for consumer products have been changing; second, to assess the implications of these changes for research into channel theory. The emphasis throughout the chapter is on the European experience, on consumer goods channels and on channels involving large retail businesses. While this area is a small subset of all marketing channels, by focusing on this subset it is possible to explore in detail some important issues which have ramifications for research into all distribution channels.

Keywords: Consumer Good; Distribution Channel; Channel Structure; Marketing Literature; Food Retailing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1998
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-349-14089-3_4

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9781349140893

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-14089-3_4

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().