| Producers normally use a number of marketing | | | | resources. Assuming that the resources can be found, |
| intermediaries for taking their products to market. It is | | | | the question arises whether it would be advantageous |
| more significant in the case of small business inventory | | | | for the manufacturer to carry out the distribution |
| software. Marketing intermediaries bear a variety of | | | | function himself and totally avoiding marketing |
| names such as sole selling agents, marketers, | | | | intermediaries. Analysis shows that there are more |
| wholesalers, distributors, stockists, franchised dealers, | | | | disadvantages than advantages to working |
| retailers, authorized representatives, broker, | | | | independently. If intermediaries are not there, the firm |
| commission agents and jobbers. All intermediaries | | | | will have to make direct contacts with far too many |
| constitute the distribution channel in small business | | | | customers. Marketing intermediaries minimize the |
| inventory software. | | | | number of contacts the firm has to make to sell its |
| Distribution channels play a pivotal role in the | | | | products. |
| successful marketing of most products, especially | | | | In other words, intermediaries offer a firm the vital |
| consumer products. Distribution channels bring together | | | | advantage of distributional efficiency. Distribution |
| the makers and the users in an efficient and economic | | | | channels at small business inventory software combine |
| manner. It is not practical for any manufacturer to | | | | the products and components manufactured by |
| organize a network of his own selling points and sell his | | | | different firms and offer them in an assortment that |
| products directly to consumers totally avoiding outside | | | | are convenient to final users. The final users, in most |
| distribution channels. Just like mass manufacturing, | | | | cases, prefer an assortment of items, and they do not |
| mass distribution needs resources in like money, | | | | prefer to shop at outlets that fail to provide an |
| materials and men. | | | | assortment of all the products that they require. |
| No manufacturer can easily command these | | | | |