Multi Channel Marketing
Industrial Marketing Management 36 (2007) 4 – 9
Multi-channel strategy in business-to-business markets: Prospects and problems
Bert Rosenbloom ⁎
LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Available online 28 July 2006
Abstract Multi-channel marketing strategy has become a major force in business-to-business distribution channels, especially since the option of Internet-based online channels emerged less than a decade ago. Making products and services available to business markets via a wide array of different channels can provide increased levels of customer choice and service. But the task of coordinating and integrating multiple channels that operate at high levels of efficiency has forced managers responsible for channel management to deal with a variety of challenging issues. These include the role of e-commerce in the multi-channel structure, finding an optimal channel mix, creating synergies across channels, building strategic alliances, creating sustainable competitive advantages, managing more complex supply chains, dealing with conflict, and providing the leadership necessary to attain well integrated multiple channels. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Multi-channel strategy; Channel management; Integrated multiple channels; Multiple channels; Channel coordination
Moving past the first half decade of the twenty-first century, it has become obvious that such forces as Internet-based Ecommerce, globalization, and intense international competition have made marketing channel management much more challenging and complicated than it was just a few short years ago (Narus & Anderson, 1996). Businesses all over the world now have many more choices in the channels they can use to reach their customers (Rangaswamy & Van Bruggen, 2005). In fact, numerous companies in the business-to-business sector already use multiple channels to go to market with their products and services (Cespedes & Corey, 1990).
Multi-channel strategy in business-to-business markets: Prospects and problems
Bert Rosenbloom ⁎
LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Available online 28 July 2006
Abstract Multi-channel marketing strategy has become a major force in business-to-business distribution channels, especially since the option of Internet-based online channels emerged less than a decade ago. Making products and services available to business markets via a wide array of different channels can provide increased levels of customer choice and service. But the task of coordinating and integrating multiple channels that operate at high levels of efficiency has forced managers responsible for channel management to deal with a variety of challenging issues. These include the role of e-commerce in the multi-channel structure, finding an optimal channel mix, creating synergies across channels, building strategic alliances, creating sustainable competitive advantages, managing more complex supply chains, dealing with conflict, and providing the leadership necessary to attain well integrated multiple channels. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Multi-channel strategy; Channel management; Integrated multiple channels; Multiple channels; Channel coordination
Moving past the first half decade of the twenty-first century, it has become obvious that such forces as Internet-based Ecommerce, globalization, and intense international competition have made marketing channel management much more challenging and complicated than it was just a few short years ago (Narus & Anderson, 1996). Businesses all over the world now have many more choices in the channels they can use to reach their customers (Rangaswamy & Van Bruggen, 2005). In fact, numerous companies in the business-to-business sector already use multiple channels to go to market with their products and services (Cespedes & Corey, 1990).
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