Chapter 14 Task
One of the key components in a successful marketing strategy is the plan for getting the products to your customer. To make the best decisions about where, when, and how your products will be made available to the customer, you need to know more about how these distribution decisions relate to other marketing-mix elements in your marketing plan. To assist you in relating the information in this chapter to your marketing plan, consider the following issues:
● Marketing intermediaries perform many activities. Using Table 14.1 as a guide, discuss the types of activities for which a channel member could provide needed assistance.
● Using Figure 14.3 (or 14.4 if your product is a business product), determine which of the channel distribution paths is most appropriate for your product. Given the nature of your product, could it be distributed through more than one of these paths?
● Determine the level of distribution intensity that is appropriate for your product. Consider the characteristics of your target market(s), the product attributes, and environmental factors in your deliberation.
● Discuss the physical functions that will be required for distributing your product, focusing on materials handling, warehousing, and transportation.
