The third major marketing mix tool is distribution. The distribution channel is “path through which goods and services travel from the vendor to the consumer or payments for those products travel from the consumer to the vendor” (Investopedia.com, n.d., para.1). Thus, the distribution channel can work in multiple ways, it can work as direct transaction from the vendor to the consumer or it may include several interconnected intermediaries along the way, which can include wholesalers, distributors, agents and retailers. These intermediaries receive the product or service at one pricing point and continually move to the next pricing point, until it reaches the final buyer.
Providing home-monitoring services to consumers who have vehicles with OnStar capability is important to the company. However, to offer this service to customers, OnStar will partner with vendors that include General Motors (GM), Buick, and Chevrolet. These vendors will assist OnStar with getting the …show more content…
Therefore, using a web-based channel to sell home-monitoring services is advantageous for OnStar because web-based selling lowers overhead and gives OnStar’s home-monitoring services the potential to reach global markets (n.d,). Because most direct distribution channels tend to have higher rates of profit than indirect distribution channels, as a direct-marketing channel service provider, OnStar will not have to share profits, which is an advantage for OnStar. Additionally, using the Internet as a direct channel of distribution is convenient for OnStar customers because they are available 24 hours a day, and customers will appreciate the opportunity to give profits directly to OnStar, which are both advantageous for OnStar. Thus, using direct sales, OnStar takes full responsibility for direct consumer communications and marketing (Burris,