4.Sd The 7 Ps of the marketing mix - Place

Agents (or brokers)

are representatives and negotiators who help to sell a vendor's products, such as real estate agents or insurance brokers.

Channels of distribution

are the ways that a product gets from the manufacturer to the consumer, such as wholesalers, agents, retailers, e-commerce or vending machines.

Intermediaries

are agents or other businesses (distributors) that act as a middle person in the distribution channel.

Intermediation

is the process of using intermediaries in the distribution channel between the manufacturer and consumers of a product.

Mail order

is a speciality channel of distribution that enables customers to order products via the postal system.

A multi-channel distribution strategy

refers to the use of a range of channels to distribute a firm's products.

A one-level distribution channel

has one intermediary, such as retailers, agents or distributors being used to sell a manufacturer's products to consumers.

Place (or distribution)

refers to the distribution of products, i.e., how products get from the producer to the consumer. It is the process of getting the right products to the right customers at the right time and place in the most cost-effective way.

Retailers

are the sellers of products to consumers in outlets ( or 'shops').

Speciality channels of distribution

refer to any indirect way to distribute products that does not involve retailers, such as e-commerce, vending machines and mail order.

A two-level distribution channel

uses two intermediaries, such as the use of wholesalers and retailers to get products to consumers.

Wholesalers

are businesses that buy large quantities of a product from a manufacturer and then 'break' the bulk into smaller units for resale, mainly to retailers.

A zero-level distribution channel (also known as direct distribution channels)

leaves out any intermediaries, i.e., the producer sells directly to the consumer .