1 Channel Conflict

2 There are many ways or channels by which information, products or services reach customers.

3 From a business point of view the world could be seen as a number of different channels to reach customers

4 The use of the Internet as a channel to reach consumers has lead to potential channel conflict

What about the ‘BRAND” Speak to any established brand owner or wholesaler and they all worry about upsetting established retail relationships; the dreaded sales channel conflict issue. The response from a brand owner is generally "The majority of my business is through established retailers, if I sell directly online, I risk losing that business". Yes the retailers hold the power yet the brand owners have the budget and the vision to see the potential opportunities in establishing online sales channels. Source:

Newly established brand owners don't have this issue with retailers. In fact the ones I know pro-actively start trading online in order to build up usage of their products and attract retail buyers. So what does a well established brand owner do? Source:

The typical response is for brand owner to develop a "flashy" website or they develop a site all about their products then have a list of stockists you can search for by postcode or zip code. Here's a couple of typical examples: Source:

As a consumer, when you have taken the time to go to their site and see a product you like, you might even want to buy it and all you are left with is "a list of stockists" - you now need to go offline or make a telephone enquiry to see if they have the product. Cheerio consumer ! Black and Decker have overcome this problem - they have built their "brand site" to navigate like an ecommerce site. However when you click "Buy online", you are directed to their online retail stockists. Source:

Example Doc Martins Dell Lonely Planet

10 Who owns the customer relationship? Potential confusion with customers themselves in terms of how they were interacting with businesses. e.g. Franchises

11 There are synergies between channels such as catalogues and the Internet

12 Catalogues, interact through the Postal Service, call centres, TV etc Companies can also set up web sites as another channel for distributing a product

13 is still the major channel of the Internet. Issues include SPAM, and overfull in-baskets Main focus today – the web

14 It’s not a simple matter to open up this major new channel because it creates a lot of questions about; well, who owns that channel to the consumer? Is it the upstream manufacturer?

Types of Conflict Direct – Manufacturers launch new channel Internal Conflict – new online competes with existing offline External – manufacturer doesn’t own online or offline channel – least threatening

16 Does the consumer have a relationship with the manufacturer or the retailer? Does selling online make sense? Is industry as a whole moving online? Degree of dependency or interdependency Manufacturers market position Strategic Factors

17 Even though consumers may buy the product from somewhere else, they’re heading to the manufacturer if there is a problem (or blaming the brand at least).

18 There has always been a need to control a company name and the brand names around its products and services The Internet may change these things.

19 Ultimately, when the Internet comes into the mix, it causes conflict between the different channels. e.g. Brand name camera, laptop etc purchased online Example – buying your own brand….. (P&G Head and Shoulders)buying your own brand…..

20 Businesses have to meet the needs of the consumer in terms of where the consumer wants to interact and when and how, and so they can’t simply say; well, the Internet is just too difficult for us. We’re not going to do it. Example: Delta and Expedia. Virgin Vs CommonwealthDeltaExpedia VirginCommonwealth

21 Definition Channel conflict can be defined as any situation where two different marketing or distribution channels are competing for the same sale with the same brand,

22 Where does conflict show itself? Pricing Order handling Delivery Service and repair Customer service Resistance to change

Is channel conflict good? Is channel conflict healthy or inevitable? Levels –Vertical (manufacturer vs. retailer) –Horizontal (dept. store goods sold at Costco) Sources –Different goals (e.g., build brand vs. immediate profits) –Loss of sales (commissions) Mattel’s websiteMattel’s website

How to manage channel conflict 1.Understand channel members interests and anticipate of conflicts 2.Set clear goal 3.Communicate your intentions clearly and provide information and training 4.Take strategy decisions which limit conflict –Clinique’s web priceClinique’s web price –Apple’s storesApple’s stores

25 Minimising Conflict Customer first and the channel second Involve channel partners Capture value

26 Conclusion Channel conflict will not go away by itself Needs active management There are many positive examples today such as multi ‑ channel strategies

Brands – "I just want back in your head". BUT……. "I'm not unfaithful but I'll stray". From the lyrics of Tegan and Sara