Sie sind auf Seite 1von 11

Götsch, Constantin; Rupprecht, Simon; Kuntner, Tobias; Anderl, Eva

Article
How traditional manufacturers succeed in D2D: A
strategic framework for assortment and pricing to
solve channel conflicts

Marketing Review St.Gallen

Provided in Cooperation with:


Universität St. Gallen, Institut für Marketing und Customer Insight

Suggested Citation: Götsch, Constantin; Rupprecht, Simon; Kuntner, Tobias; Anderl, Eva
(2023) : How traditional manufacturers succeed in D2D: A strategic framework for assortment
and pricing to solve channel conflicts, Marketing Review St.Gallen, ISSN 1865-7516, Thexis
Verlag, St.Gallen, Vol. 40, Iss. 1, pp. 70-77

This Version is available at:


http://hdl.handle.net/10419/280450

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use:

Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your
Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes.

Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial
Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them
machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise
use the documents in public.
Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen
(insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open
gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you
genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated
licence.
Marketingzeitschrift für Theorie & Praxis 1 / 2023

Marketing Review
St.Gallen
Assessing Marketing
Performance
Schwerpunkt
Digitales Marketing:
Integrierte Erfolgsmessung –
Wie der strategische Einsatz
von Digital-Analytics-
Instrumenten gelingt

Paradigmenwechsel bei der


Return-on-Marketing-Planung

Management im Cockpit –
Dashboards für den
Marketingerfolg

How Consumers Think of


Your Brand? Just Ask!

Bestimmung von Marktanteilen


Spektrum
über Share-of-Search-Analysen –
Wie FIT STAR mehr Transparenz «Man muss bereit sein,
im Wettbewerbsumfeld seiner ein bewusstes Risiko einzugehen»
Fitnessstudios schafft Interview mit Boris Dolkhani,
Robert Bosch GmbH
Das Dilemma mit der
Erhöhung des Marktanteils – How Traditional Manufacturers
Eine neue Methode zur Verbesserung succeed in D2C – A Strategic
der Marktanteilsanalyse mit Blick Framework for Assortment and
auf Normal- und Sonderpreise Pricing to Solve Channel Conflicts
Spektrum D2C

How Traditional
Manufacturers
Succeed in D2C
A Strategic Framework for Assortment
and Pricing to Solve Channel Conflicts

D2C offers the chance for traditional manufacturers to gain independence


and reduce margin pressure by bypassing retailers. A differentiated
assortment and pricing approach is a key lever for mitigating the resulting
risk of channel conflicts. Our research helps manufacturers succeed in
D2C by delivering a framework that provides actionable differentiation
strategies within a four-phase maturity model.

Constantin Götsch, Simon Rupprecht, Tobias Kuntner, Eva Anderl

70 Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023


In 2021, the sporting goods manufacturer ment and pricing. Thus, this article focuses
Nike reached its highest turnover in his- on the main question: How can traditional
tory with a total revenue of 44.5 billion manufacturers, with a history of selling via
USD. A stunning 38,7% of this revenue B2B channels, define their D2C assortment
Constantin Götsch
originated from direct sales. Bloomberg and pricing strategy to avoid channel con- Marketplace Consultant,
(2017) describes this development as: flicts and succeed in D2C? Amazon Deutschland Services GmbH,
“Nike Cuts Out the Middleman.” The Munich, Germany
middleman is a long-standing concept The article first outlines possible de- constantin.goetsch@gmail.com
of retailers taking care of the distribution cision options in D2C assortment and
of goods from the manufacturer to the pricing. Subsequently, differentiation is Simon Rupprecht
end consumer (Dornberger, 2021). presented as a strategic crux to reduce Project Manager Global D2C
channel conflicts. Ultimately, the article Sales SDA, BSH Hausgeräte GmbH,
Today, Nike’s break with this tradition combines identified assortment, pricing Munich, Germany
simon.rupprecht@bshg.com
appears to be just the peak of the ice- and differentiation strategies in a four-
berg. Digitalization allows manufac- phase maturity model. The first inter-
turers to directly access the consumer related D2C framework leads to recom- Tobias Kuntner
via touchpoints like electronic shops mendations for action to help marketing Head of Global D2C Sales SDA,
or marketplaces (Vadgama et al., 2022). managers and pricing directors exploit BSH Hausgeräte GmbH,
Munich, Germany
Manufacturers active in D2C can the potential of D2C.
tobias.kuntner@bshg.com
control prices and earn the complete
product margin. By communicating di-
rectly with consumers, they can react to Manufacturers in Charge: Eva Anderl
changing consumer needs and provide Professor, Munich University
tailored product offerings (Haertlein et
Their New Role as of Applied Sciences,

al., 2021). End-to-End Distributor Munich, Germany


eva.anderl@hm.edu

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this In a traditional distribution chain the


development by showing manufacturers competence of a manufacturer is fo-
that retailers could be shut down over- cused on product creation (Moretti,
night (McKinsey, 2021). It also pushed 2019). In D2C, the manufacturer by-
the behavior of consumers towards a passes intermediaries by organizing
more digitized shopping experience direct touchpoints with end consumers
(Sheth, 2020). (Donna et al., 2021). Those touchpoints
encompass online channels such as
However, it should not be neglected that web shops or 3rd party marketplaces,
most manufacturers still rely heavily on but also manufacturers’ own offline
the consolidated, strong retailers (Matsui, channels (e.g., brand stores) and 3rd
2022). Their evolution towards independ- party channels such as agency models
ent direct sales channels will likely create (Heinemann, 2021).
conflicts with retailers, especially in the
fields of assortment and pricing. Offering According to Lienhard et al. (2021), it is
the same assortment for lower prices will difficult for manufacturers to go into
start a direct competition between man- D2C as a new skill set needs to be ac-
ufacturers active in D2C and partnering quired. With indirect distribution, man-
retailers (Moretti, 2019). This could pose ufacturers solely focus on the produc-
a risk to the manufacturer–retailer rela- tion of goods, whereas with end-to-end
tionship that still remains crucial for the distribution, they are responsible for all
success of most manufacturers. operations from production to marketing
to sales (Moretti, 2019). Manufacturers
Existing literature does not provide enough thus become partners as well as direct
insights for manufacturers to effectively competitors to retailers for similar offers
cope with these challenges in D2C assort- (Dornberger, 2021).

Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023 71


Spektrum D2C

Management Summary
Easing Channel
Conflicts with Offer
This article shows how traditional manufacturers, with a history of selling via
B2B channels, can define their D2C assortment and pricing strategy to avoid Differentiation
channel conflicts and succeed in D2C. Offer differentiation, the strategy of
taking a homogenous marketing mix and making it appear different in the The core option for solving these conflicts
mind of the buyer, is key to reducing the risk of channel conflicts. Using the is to differentiate the offer between direct
framework presented in this article, manufacturers can align their assortment and indirect channels (Vinhas & Ander-
and pricing strategy with their level of D2C power, i.e., brand value, product son, 2005). Offer differentiation is „the
substitutability and prior D2C experience. strategy of taking a homogenous market-
ing mix and making it appear different
[…] in the mind of the buyer” (Hawes &
Glisan, 2015). What can manufacturers
do to achieve such differentiation?
The focus of this tension is on the assort- (Tripp, 2019). Offering their products for a
ment and pricing strategy. If manufac- lower price would create an unbeneficial One possibility is to limit the sales of
turers are engaged in indirect and direct channel conflict. Manufacturers could a product to only one channel to avoid
sales, they need to decide which products also offer a new, exclusive D2C assortment competition with retailers. Manufactur-
to offer at which prices to which channels instead. This reduces the risk of conflict. ers can also assign D2C products a new
(Jelassi & Martínez-López, 2020; Pasirayi However, the development of an exclusive stock keeping unit (SKU) to avoid com-
& Fennell, 2021). If a brand provides the D2C portfolio is costly, creates consumer parability (Roeloffs Valk, 2020) or posi-
same product in both channels, retailers confusion and adds complexity in internal tion a retail product under a new D2C
and the manufacturer are competing over processes (Bertini & Wathieu, 2011; van brand (Witek-Hajduk & Napiórkowski,
the same offer. This is exacerbated when der Veen, 2015). 2017).
a specific product is offered for a lower
price in manufacturers’ direct channels A further option is to develop completely
because retailers may perceive this as an new products that are exclusively offered
attack against their market position (Webb Main Propositions in D2C channels. By making those prod-
& Didow, 1997). Therefore, a strategy to ucts exclusively available via D2C, man-
balance assortment and pricing decisions 1 The higher the level of channel ufacturers can avoid price competition
between both channels is required. integration, the higher is the (Lessard, 2021). Manufacturers that offer
risk of channel conflicts. exclusive D2C products can price their
products based on value or the prices of
Managing Assortment 2 Offer differentiation is the key horizontal competitors (Bashkin et al.,
to easing the risk of channel 2017). Yet, creating exclusive offers can
and Pricing Between conflicts. be costly and time-consuming (Bertini
Competing Channels & Wathieu, 2011; van der Veen, 2015).
3 D2C power, comprising brand Therefore, manufacturers can apply other
The level of competition between chan- value, product substitutability types of differentiation strategies that
nels depends on the level of channel inte- and prior D2C experience, is change the offer characteristics and make
gration, i.e., the level of similarity between the main factor shaping D2C comparisons between retailers and D2C
them (Jelassi & Martínez-López, 2020). The strategies for manufacturers. more difficult. One approach is to add
higher the level of channel integration, the services such as extended warranty pe-
4 The greater the D2C
greater the extent of a channel conflict, riods or product maintenance (Baxter et
power, the more extensive
as manufacturers and retailers compete al., 2021). The service level in general can
and aggressive the D2C
over the same offer (Vinhas & Anderson, also be differentiated, e.g., via delivery
assortment, pricing and
2005). To avoid such conflicts, manufac- differentiation strategy can be. and return policies or free samples (Arora
turers could simply offer a fully integrated et al., 2020). Customization is another way
portfolio with identical products for a 5 The greater the D2C power of of creating exclusive products (Winkler,
higher price. This strategy most probably a manufacturer, the higher the 2019), and personalization is a way of add-
leaves a manufacturer with fewer sales as likelihood of D2C success. ing extra value compared to retail offers
their offer is not attractive for consumers (Heinemann et al., 2019; Detscher, 2021).

72 Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023


Another option for non-exclusive D2C lower brand values, such as Victorinox,
offers is to create bundles (Jelassi & Leifheit or Samsonite, were analyzed
Martínez-López, 2020). By combining regarding offer differentiation and D2C
Lessons Learned
two or more products, the comparabil- price markup. For five focus cases (Apple,
1 Assess the importance of your
ity of prices and products in comparison Dyson, Nike, Lego and KitchenAid), D2C
retailer relationship as well as
to retail is reduced (Simon & Fassnacht, price markups (%) compared to retailers the risk of channel conflicts for
2019). Prices of differentiated non-ex- as well as the level of offer differentiation your business when planning
clusive D2C products should reflect the and channel integration were analyzed to get involved in D2C.
added value (Bashkin et al., 2017). in detail. A summary of the five focus
cases is shown in table 1. The results of 2 Before going D2C, use the
Products which are not suited for any the multiple case study analysis were Maturity Model to assess your
kind of product differentiation and based on company websites, brand rank- level of D2C power and align
are fully integrated into both channels ing, financial statements as well as online your assortment and pricing
carry a high risk of competition. As shops of retailers for price comparisons. strategy according to your
product characteristics do not differ, Within the case study, D2C-exclusive maturity stage and business
prices should be set carefully to avoid offers were identified as such when prod- case.
conflicts. ucts were explicitly labeled as exclusive
or when they could not be found in any 3 With low D2C power,
To succeed in D2C, manufacturers need retail assortment. start offering an integrated
to find a beneficial mix of all strategies assortment in D2C. With
increasing maturity, evolve
– exclusive D2C products, differentiated
non-exclusive ones and non-differen- The D2C Maturity to a hybrid assortment with
D2C-exclusive products.
tiated ones. How can manufacturers
decide on the right differentiation strat-
Model
4 With low D2C power, price
egy? And how should they set prices It was found that various manufacturers your products based on the
to succeed in D2C, but preserve retail just passively offer the same products as RRP. With increasing D2C
relationships? in retail for the recommended retail price power, slowly start to price
(RRP). Others show a differentiated port- competitively.
folio with partly D2C-exclusive products
A Qualitative and direct price competition. How can 5 Use differentiation instruments
traditional manufacturers decide on one
Mixed-Methods of these strategies?
to avoid channel conflicts. The
greater your D2C power, the
Approach more complex differentiation
The results show that the level of chan- instruments can be applied.
The research results presented here are nel integration, price competitiveness
derived from a mixed-methods approach
(for a detailed outline see the online
Appendix). First, the authors conducted
six interviews with experts from various Table 1: Overview of the Five Focus Case Studies
backgrounds from academia and prac-
Case D2C D2C Offer Assortment Assortment Product
tice. Their insights enhanced the under- Markup (%) Differentiation Strategy Volume Type
standing of the D2C strategies presented
Apple 2.7% Low Full integra- Low SMCG
above. The interviews were conducted tion
using a semi-structured guideline and
Dyson –0.4% High Full integra- Low SMCG
analyzed using qualitative content anal- tion
ysis (Kuckartz, 2018).
Nike 14.2% High Hybrid High FMCG

Second, the authors conducted a mul- Lego 21.9% Medium Hybrid High FMCG
tiple case study analysis that followed KitchenAid 15.1% High Hybrid Medium SMCG
the three-step procedure of Yin (2009).
Twelve traditional manufacturers with Source: Authors’ illustration.
either a high brand value, like Apple, or

Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023 73


Spektrum D2C

Fig. 1: The D2C Maturity Model

Goal Goal Goal Goal


Familiarize Try & Nest Strive & Earn Succeed & Exploit

D2C Focus Focus Focus Focus


Success Enter D2C with a full Try out first differentiation Diverge from a full Outstanding performance
integration strategy with strategies and openly integration strategy to in a hybrid assortment
pricing based on RRP. communicate with a hybrid model. Change strategy with value-based
Gather experience and retailers. Learn from pricing logic based on offer pricing and direct price
define D2C strategy and errors and slowly nest in differentiation. competition to exploit all
contribution. the direct channels. D2C potential.

Newbies Beginners Professionals Experts


LowHigh
D2C Power*
*Factorial equation of= brand value & D2C experience & product substitutability. Source: Authors’ illustration.

and differentiation mainly depends on indicate that the higher the D2C power strategies, the results are incorporated
three factors: (1) brand value, (2) product of a manufacturer, the more advanced into a D2C Maturity Model (figure 1).
substitutability and (3) prior D2C experi- can be the pricing and differentiation
ence. These three factors will summarily strategies. To visualize the impact of The level of maturity is defined by the
be referred to as D2C power. The results D2C power and align it with actionable D2C power. Manufacturers with low D2C
power are called Newbies. The ultimate
goal of Newbies is to familiarize them-
selves with the new channel and gather
first experiences. They enter D2C with a
The Case of KitchenAid fully integrated assortment and offer their
undifferentiated product for the recom-
KitchenAid, a manufacturer of household appliances such as blenders or mended retail price (RRP). An example of
cooking machines and other kitchen gadgets, is a good example of how D2C this type is the sporting goods manufac-
Professionals (and Experts) can use differentiation to justify higher prices and turer Wilson, which offers their products
avoid channel conflicts. As a household appliance manufacturer, KitchenAid for the RRP without any differentiation.
finds itself on rank three of the most valued brands (Prophet Consultancy, 2021).
They offer innovative products in a premium price segment (KitchenAid, 2022).
Next, Beginners are manufacturers that
KitchenAid charges a comparably high markup of approx.
show an increased D2C power. Their
15% plus an additional charge for personalized goods.
strategy is to try out some first differenti-
They use a wide range of differentiation strategies
ation measures such as added services and
including bundling (allowing them to partly undercut
retailer prices for selected products), personalization (by slowly settle down in the direct sales chan-
engraving), free extras such as gratis bowls or extensions nel. They learn from their D2C activities
and a 90-days money-back-guarantee. Additionally, by receiving feedback on them. The Swiss
KitchenAid also provides exclusive and limited products knife manufacturer Victorinox differenti-
that are offered only via their D2C channel. ates its D2C channel by offering personali-
zation as well as special edition colors. Due

74 Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023


Fig. 2: Strategy Board for the D2C Maturity Model

Newbies Beginners Professionals Experts

Goal Familiarize Try & Nest Strive & Earn Succeed & Exploit

Slightly undercut RRP Low D2C markup with


Pricing RRP to avoid price
and justify markup with first additional markup for
Value-based pricing as markup
Strategy competition with retail differentiation value-adds differentiated offers on top of retail price level

Assortment Full integration Full integration


Early hybrid Hybrid
Strategy undifferentiated differentiated

Phase 2 strategies plus


Differentiation None
e.g., services,
e.g. variations,
All strategies incl. exclusive
Strategy personalization limited eds., bundles products & customization

Low to medium due Medium due to markups


Revenue Low due to RRP High
to differentiation for differentiation

Probable Certain
Channel Not existent due Possible
- differentiation is a must - D2C management
Conflict to RRP pricing - differentiation needed - strong brand required with a top brand needed

Source: Authors’ illustration.

to a higher product substitutability as well The higher the D2C D2C-exclusive products to avoid channel
as limited brand value, Victorinox remains conflicts (Prophet Consultancy, 2021).
conservative in their pricing by offering
power of a manu-
their products for the RRP. facturer, the more The maturity of a traditional manufac-
turer correlates with D2C success. D2C
Brands with medium to high D2C power
advanced can be the success is shown on the y-axis of the
are referred to as Professionals. With a pricing and differen- D2C Maturity Model. It correlates with
better market position, they strive for the level of value a manufacturer is gen-
success and can earn higher margins
tiation strategies. erating in direct sales. It is assumed that
in D2C by moving away from the RRP. turnover or profit may be suitable met-
With increasing experience, they diverge They know how to handle channel con- rics. However, the model does not give
from a fully integrated assortment into a flicts between direct and indirect chan- any specific definition of D2C success as
hybrid assortment model with some first nels and fully concentrate on exploiting cases may differ.
D2C-exclusive products. For example, direct sales channels. Their hybrid as-
KitchenAid’s D2C experience and brand sortment is differentiated, with exclusive Each of the four phases incorporates
value allows them to price independently and customizable products. Experts price specific pricing, assortment and differ-
from the RRP. On average, KitchenAid their products increasingly value-based entiation strategies. To align these with
charges an extra 15% on retail prices. and with comparably low D2C markups manufacturers’ D2C strategies, a clear
Their differentiated assortment with (or even none). For example, Dyson’s and dedicated guide is needed. Such a
exclusive products, customization and innovative products, powerful brand guide is given by the D2C Strategy Board
personalization clearly differentiates D2C and experience in D2C allows them an depicted in figure 2.
from retail (Prophet Consultancy, 2021). aggressive pricing strategy. In some cases,
Dyson even undercuts the price of retail- The Strategy Board provides strategic de-
Manufacturers of innovative products ers. Their extreme D2C power is comple- tails for the four maturity phases with re-
with a top brand value and extensive D2C mented by differentiation strategies such gard to pricing, assortment, differentiation
experience are designated as Experts. as services with free extras or seasonal as well as revenue and channel conflicts.

Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023 75


Spektrum D2C

• N ewbies with low D2C power are ad- differentiated channel offerings, The Differentiation Board shows man-
vised to integrate their whole portfolio professionals move away from RRP ufacturers three ways of entering D2C
in D2C on the basis of the conservative pricing. They add a low D2C markup with their portfolio:
RRP to reduce complexity and the compared to retail, justified by added
risk of conflicts. Due to the passive value. • T
 he basic offer type is undifferenti-
approach, revenue is expected to be • Experts show D2C excellence by utiliz- ated and existent before going D2C.
low and channel conflicts should not ing complex differentiation strategies, This strategy is available in all phases
be existent. a differentiated hybrid assortment of maturity. Depending on the D2C
• Beginners differentiate their fully in- with exclusive products and direct power and aggressiveness of a manu-
tegrated assortment, e.g., with added price competition where suitable. They facturer, pricing can range from RRP
services. Due to the reduced compa- exploit the direct channel with increas- to low markups in D2C. Products are
rability, they can slightly undercut the ing revenues. As price competition offered with the same characteristics
RRP. As the offer is gaining in attrac- might trigger channel conflicts, Ex- in both channels.
tiveness, revenue in D2C is expected to perts must employ an excellent chan- • T he second type is represented by
rank at low to medium levels. Differ- nel management, paying attention to those products that keep their core
entiation strategies need to be applied their retailer relationship and utilizing characteristics, but are enhanced
to avoid channel conflicts. diverse differentiation strategies. through differentiation, such as ser-
• Professionals use their increasing D2C vices. The more mature a manufac-
power to earn higher revenues. By As part of the D2C Maturity Model, the turer is, the more price competitive
starting to implement some D2C-ex- Differentiation Board in figure 3 goes their differentiated existing offers can
clusive products and using advanced into detail on when to apply which dif- be. Through simple differentiation,
differentiation strategies, they manage ferentiation strategy. It further elaborates these strategies are a start to avoid
to bypass channel conflicts without on the specific pricing method to be used channel conflicts over offers that are
risking their D2C success. With their when differentiating an offer. price competitive.

Fig. 3: Differentiation Board for the D2C Maturity Model

Maturity Phases Offer Type Channel Type Differentiation Strategy Pricing

Undifferentiated, RRP ≈ RRP


1 2 3 4 Hybrid None
existing offers ++ Markup + Markup

Subscription
Value-based
Membership
Ext. Content
≈ RRP + value markup
2 3 4 Service
Free extras Individual ++ markup
Product Samples
Undifferentiated, Hybrid Individual + markup
existing offers Ext. Warranty

Bundling Bundle < Retail price

3 4 Product Personalization Value-based markup

Limited editions Value-based markup

Differentiated, D2C- Developing new SKU Competitor-based markup


3 4 new offers Exclusive Customization Value-based markup

Source: Authors’ illustration.

76 Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023


• T
 he third type of offer is differentiated
to such a degree that it is not compara- References
ble to an offer in retail. Through new
product development or customization
Arora, A., Khan, H., Kohli, S. & Tufft, C. (2020). McKinsey (2021, July 8). Why retail outperformers
competition between manufacturers DTC e-commerce: How consumer brands can get are pulling ahead.
and retailers is avoided. Manufactur- it right. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/ why-retail-outperformers-are-pulling-ahead
ers can further use this strategy to marketing-and-sales/our-insights/dtc-e-commerce-how-
consumer-brands-can-get-it-right Moretti, L. (2019). Distribution strategy:
move away from the RRP and earn The BESTX® method for sustainably managing networks
their full margin based on the value Bashkin, J., Joshi, P., Pacchia, M. & Ungerman, K. (2017). and channels. Springer International Publishing.
Should CPG manufacturers go direct to consumer—
of the product or prices of horizontal and, if so, how? McKinsey & Company. Pasirayi, S., & Fennell, P. B. (2021). The effect of
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/ subscription-based direct-to-consumer channel
competitors. As the high level of dif- industries/consumer%20packaged%20goods/ additions on firm value. Journal of Business Research,
our%20insights/should%20cpg%20manufacturers%20 123, 355–366.
ferentiation creates complexity, it will go%20direct%20to%20consume/should-cpg-
mostly be manufacturers in phases 3 manufacturers-go-direct-to-consumer-and-if-so-how.pdf? Prophet Consultancy. (2021). Prophet Brand
shouldIndex=false Relevance Index® 2021: The top 10 brands.
and 4 that will successfully manage to https://www.prophet.com/relevantbrands-2021/
Baxter, A., Tordjman, K., Paizanis, G. &
deploy these strategies. Robnett, S. (2021). Don’t let channel conflicts limit Roeloffs Valk, H. (2020, 13. Oktober). Price points
e-commerce sales. Boston Consulting Group. podcast EP 2: Why should brands differentiate their
https://www.bcg.com/de-de/publications/2021/ assortments (No. 2). Price Points.
mitigating-e-commerce-channel-conflicts https://www.omniaretail.com/blog/podcast/why-

Conclusion Bertini, M. & Wathieu, L. (2011). Price psychology:


should-brands-differentiate-their-assortments

Advances on context effects in pricing research. Sheth, J. (2020). Impact of Covid-19 on consumer
Advances in Consumer Research, 39, 108–109. behavior: Will the old habits return or die?
This article underlines the importance of Journal of Business Research, 117, 280–283.
Detscher, S. (Hrsg.) (2021). Digitales Management
strategic excellence when going D2C as und Marketing: So nutzen Unternehmen die Markt­ Simon, H. & Fassnacht, M. (2019). Price management:
chancen der Digitalisierung. Springer Fachmedien. Strategy, analysis, decision, implementation.
a traditional manufacturer. The risk of Springer International Publishing.
channel conflicts or failure in D2C can Donna, J. D., Pereira, P., Trindade, A. & Yoshida, R. (2021).
Direct-to-consumer sales by manufacturers and Stock, K. (2017, 27. September). Nike cuts out the
be addressed by aligning the assortment, bargaining. MPRA Paper 105773, University Library of middleman to sell you the perfect sneaker. Bloomberg.
Munich, Germany. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-27/
pricing and differentiation strategies nike-cuts-out-the-middleman-to-sell-you-the-perfect-
Dornberger, R. (Hrsg.). (2021). New trends in sneaker
with the existing D2C power. With an business information systems and technology:
increase in maturity, a manufacturer Digital innovation and digital business transformation. Tripp, C. (2019). Distributions- und Handelslogistik:
Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, 294. Netzwerke und Strategien der Omnichannel-Distribution
can become more aggressive in D2C Springer Nature. im Handel. Springer Gabler.
activities, enter into price competition Haertlein, M., Muehlheim, P., Bolliger, D. & Vadgama, N., Xu, J. & Tasca, P. (Hrsg.). (2022).
with retailers and financially exploit the Lienhard, S. (2021). Lernen statt verkaufen durch Enabling the internet of value: How blockchain
D2C-Strategien mit Chat-Dialogen: Das Beispiel Emmi connects global businesses. Springer Nature.
direct channels. By using the presented Caffè Latte. Marketing Review St. Gallen, 6, 38–45.
van der Veen, J. (2015). Simple model for a shipper
differentiation strategies in the appropri- Hawes, J. M. & Glisan, G. B. (Hrsg.) (2015). to determine an optimal logistics outsourcing strategy.
Proceedings of the 1987 Academy of Marketing Science White Paper, Nyenrode Business University.
ate maturity phase, channel conflicts can (AMS) Annual Conference. Springer. https://cupdf.com/document/simple-model-for-a-
be reduced to realize D2C success. shipper-to-determine-an-optimal-cost-variabilization-
Heinemann, G. (2021). Der neue Online-Handel: when.html?page=1
Geschäftsmodelle, Geschäftssysteme und Benchmarks
im E-Commerce (12. Aufl.). Springer Gabler. Vinhas, A. S. & Anderson, E. (2005). How potential
Besides practical implications for tradi- conflict drives channel structure: Concurrent
tional manufacturers, the results at hand Heinemann, G., Gehrckens, H. M., Täuber, T. & (direct and indirect) channels. Journal of Marketing
Accenture GmbH (Hrsg.) (2019). Handel mit Mehrwert: Research, 42(4), 507–515.
show ample opportunities for further re- Digitaler Wandel in Märkten, Geschäftsmodellen und
Geschäftssystemen. Springer Fachmedien. Webb, K. L. & Didow, N. M. (1997). Understanding
search. Future research could quantify the hybrid channel conflict: A conceptual model and
Jelassi, T. & Martínez-López, F. J. (2020). Strategies for propositions for research. Journal of Business-to-
impact of the three D2C power variables e-Business: Concepts and cases on value creation and Business Marketing, 4(1), 39–78.
(brand value, product substitutability and digital business transformation. Springer Nature.
Winkler, N. (2019). Direct to consumer vs wholesale:
prior D2C experience) on channel conflict Kuckartz, U. (2018). Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Customer experience over competition. Shopify.
Methoden, Praxis, Computerunterstützung (4. Aufl.). https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/direct-to-consumer-
and D2C success as well as complement Beltz Juventa. vs-wholesale
them with so far unidentified variables.
Lessard, E. (2021). Going direct to consumer while Witek-Hajduk, M. K. & Napiórkowski, T. M. (2017).
Furthermore, the identified differentia- maintaining your relationships with retailers. Salesforce. Cluster analysis of retailers’ benefits from their
https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/ cooperation with manufacturers: Business models
tion methods such as exclusivity should direct-to-consumer/ perspective. International Journal of Social, Behavioral,
Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial
be examined in more detail. Lienhard, S., Schoegel, M. & Boppart, A. (2021). Engineering, 11(4), 787–795.
The prerequisites for D2C strategies: A close view
at established consumer goods manufacturers. Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods
Marketing Review St. Gallen, 6, 10–17. (4. Aufl.). Sage Publications.
Weitere ergänzende Grafiken Matsui, K. (2022). Should a retailer bargain over
zum Artikel finden Sie unter: a wholesale price with a manufacturer using a
dual-channel supply chain? European Journal of
unisg.link.MRSG-Goetsch-et-al Operational Research, 300(3), 1050–1066.

Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023 77


Spektrum D2C

Online-Anhang

Going D2C – How Traditional Manu-


facturers Can Solve Channel Conflicts
A Strategic Framework for Assortment and Pricing

Appendix: Mixed-Methods Approach

Literature review

Expert interviews

Semi-structured interviews with 6 experts from academia and practice

Analysis of expert interviews

Using qualitative content analysis (Kuckartz, 2018)

Development of analysis criteria

By combining literature with generated MAXQDA coding results

Selection of 12 cases

(traditional B2B manufacturers with D2C activities)

Analysis of 12 cases

Regarding offer differentiation, D2C price markup and brand value

Selection of 5 focus cases

Based on extraordinary D2C practices in use

Detailed analysis of focus cases

Regarding price markup (compared to selected online shops),


offer differentiation and channel strategies

Development of strategic framework

Source: Authors’ illustration.

Marketing Review St. Gallen 1 | 2023

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen