Wholesaling of products
Wholesaling:-
Wholesaling includes all the
activities in selling goods or services to those who buy for resale or business
use. It excludes manufacturers and farmers because they are engaged primarily
in production, and it excludes retailers. The major types of wholesalers are
described in Table 16.5. Wholesalers (also called distributors) differ from
retailers in a number of ways. First, wholesalers pay less attention to
promotion, atmosphere, and location because they are dealing with business
customers rather than final consumers. Second, wholesale transactions are
usually larger than retail transactions, and wholesalers usually cover a larger
trade area than retailers. Third, the government deals with wholesalers and
retailers differently in terms of legal regulations and taxes. Why do
manufacturers not sell directly to retailers or final consumers? Why are
wholesalers used at all? In general, wholesalers are more efficient in
performing one or more of the following functions:
• Selling and promoting.
Wholesalers’ sales forces help manufacturers reach many small business
customers at a relatively low cost. They have more contacts, and buyers often
trust them more than they trust a distant manufacturer.
• Buying and assortment building.
Wholesalers are able to select items and build the assortments their customers
need, saving them considerable work.
• Bulk breaking. Wholesalers
achieve savings for their customers by buying large carload lots and breaking
the bulk into smaller units.
• Warehousing. Wholesalers hold
inventories, thereby reducing inventory costs and risks to suppliers and
customers.
• Transportation. Wholesalers can
often provide quicker delivery to buyers because they are closer to the buyers.
• Financing. Wholesalers finance
customers by granting credit, and finance suppliers by ordering early and
paying bills on time.
• Risk bearing. Wholesalers
absorb some risk by taking title and bearing the cost of theft, damage,
spoilage, and obsolescence.
• Market information. Wholesalers
supply information to suppliers and customers regarding competitors’
activities, new products, price developments, and so on.
• Management services and
counseling. Wholesalers often help retailers improve their operations by
training sales clerks, helping with store layouts and displays, and setting up
accounting and inventory-control systems. They may help industrial customers by
offering training and technical services
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