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Channel Conflict. Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari spratihari@mimts.org . 1. Channel System. Vertical Marketing System Horizontal Marketing System Multi-Channel Marketing System. Vertical Marketing System. It is the conventional marketing system of a producer, distributor and retailer.
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Channel Conflict Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari spratihari@mimts.org Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari 1
Channel System • Vertical Marketing System • Horizontal Marketing System • Multi-Channel Marketing System Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Vertical Marketing System • It is the conventional marketing system of a producer, distributor and retailer. • Each of the channel members including the company act independently and trying to run a profitable business. • When all these entities were to act together to provide service to the end user, it would be called Vertical Marketing System (VMS) Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Horizontal Marketing System • This system operates between two or more unrelated companies, but arrangement of working together provided benefits to both, Commonly known as “tie-ups” • Each companies has seen their respective strength, which can be exploit to its advantage. • Example – Supermarkets and airports having ATM of leading banks • Exp – Big hotels having CCD outlets, Cell Phone outlets etc. Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Multichannel Marketing • Here, companies use two or more marketing channels to reach different customer segments. Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Objectives • To understand how and why channel conflicts occur? • To explore different types of channel conflict • To discuss ways of managing channel conflict • Channel practices to resolve conflict CASE: Bajaj Fan CASE: Finolex Cables Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Channel Management • Channel Management is in three broad phases • Use of Power to Motivate Channel Members • Identifying and Resolving Channel Conflicts • Channel Coordination Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Channel Conflict • Channel conflict is generated when one channel member’s action prevent another channel from achieving its goal. • Conflict could be the result of : • Each channel member wanting to pursue his own goal • Each wants to retain his independence • There are limited resources, which all of them want to utilize to achieve their goal Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Sources of Channel Conflict • Difference in Goals: The objective of company and the distributor may not always match. • Exp: Manufacturer may want to achieve rapid market penetration through a low-price policy. Dealers, in contrast, may prefer to work with high margin and pursue short-run profitability. • Exp: In a situation of intense competition, the company would like the distributor to enhance its inputs to his customers like: • Increase frequency of market visit • Provide a sales force for full market and outlet coverage. • Extent more credit • Compromise with some of his margin and discount more • Keep more stock • Work market with ready stock Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Sources of Channel Conflict…contd. • Difference of perception: The manufacturer may be optimistic about the short-run economic opportunity and want dealers to carry higher inventory, but the dealers may be pessimistic. • Resource Scarcity: Allocation among channel members of valuable resources seems unfair to some of them. • Roles are not defined properly • Addition of New Channel Partner • Target Fixing Exercise • Extension of credit • Expectation of Channel Members Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Sources of Channel Conflict…contd. • Intermediaries’ dependence on manufacturer : The exclusive dealers such as auto dealers are affected by manufacturer’s products and pricing decisions. This situation creates a high potential for conflict. • Communication Difficulties : Misunderstandings or misinterpretation of routine communication • Loss of Opportunity Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Types of Conflicts • Vertical Channel Conflict: Conflict between different levels within the sale channel • Horizontal Channel Conflict: Conflict between members of the same level • Multichannel Conflict: It happens when manufacturer has established two or more channels that sell to the market. Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Managing Channel Conflicts • Steps to undergo for resolving conflict • Step-1: Understanding the nature of the conflict and measuring its intensity • Identifying and prioritizing the issues – Monitoring the frequency of occurrence – Collecting the views of the parties about the problem. • Step-2: Tracing the source of the conflict • Step-3: Finding out the consequence of the conflict • Step-4: Action plan for conflict resolution Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Conflict Resolution • Adoption of Superordinate Goal: In this case, the channel members come to an agreement on the fundamental goal they are seeking. Whether it is survival, market share, customer satisfaction or service quality. • Joint Membership in Trade Associations • Sharing of valuable information may develop trust and reduce conflicts. • Clear rules of conduct to help build good relationship • Working together for sharing responsibilities Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Conflict Resolution…contd. • Joint goal setting by the channel principal and its channel members. • Use of channel motivation programs • Diplomacy • Use of legal and ethical practice • The company can’t formally designate the territory to be covered by a channel member. This protects both the company (in appointing more dealers) and the channel members who can see beyond the designated territory. • The company can not force the channel partner to sell any specific product, which may be slow moving or fast moving Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Building Channel relationship • For retailers – Payments for shelf-display space • High trade discount than competition • High margin for better distribution efforts measures n terms of coverage, distribution and productive calls. • Strong promotional support • Support of field salespeople – Particularly in achieving secondary sales. • Challenging sales target and joint planning to achieve them. • Assured outdated stock return • Provide Sales Training to distributors’ sales men • Provide logistical support • Offering credit support • Generate customer leads and pass to channel members • Communicate promptly all crucial marketing decisions • Discuss with the channel partners for useful suggestions for implementation Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari
Thank You Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari suvendupratihari@gmail.com 933 777 3456 17 Prof. Suvendu Kr. Pratihari