The Comparative Analysis Of Home Appliances Manufacturers' Marketing Channel Pattern In China Market

Consumers are changing their shopping and life style with the rapid development of IT, wideband network and online shopping mall. Sales of high value durable consumer goods like home appliance are growing fast, which keep the marketing channel pattern changing. Will web channel catch up after the bright periods of department store channel, big dealer channel, channel built by manufacturers and home appliance chain store? Should home appliance manufacturers march forward or just wait to start in the face of web channel chance and the expansion of sales? Lured by the lust of new channel and market share, how to keep sober-minded to establish a reasonable channel pattern? And which channel pattern will help home appliance manufacturers to be eternal and worldwide famous?Confront the chance of web distribution channels, Sony and Haier, the benchmark of home appliance industry from Japan and China, who have similar DNA and resemble product line, adopt different marketing channel pattern. Sony focused on traditional channels sticking to its branding strategy, while Haier centralized both traditional and web distribution channels for the sake of sales. On the basis of comparison and analysis of different marketing channel pattern adopted by Sony and Haier, the home appliance magnate within the opening times of web, the paper revealed the reason of their difference in marketing channel pattern, summarized the experience of international brand in China market and objective law of home appliance manufacturers marketing channel pattern, forecasted the developing trend of Chinese home appliance manufacturers marketing channel. Using the experience of Sony for reference, the paper also gave down-to-earth suggestion to Haier, the local brand growing worldwide, in order to help Chinese enterprises to achieve the target of becoming global brands and even world famous by improving marketing channel pattern. The paper consists of six chapters as follows.ChapterⅠillustrated research background, motivation, target and arrangement.ChapterⅡexplained definition and importance of marketing channel, kinds of marketing channel pattern and performance evaluation of marketing channel.ChapterⅢstudied development and present situation of marketing channel of home appliance industry in China market and briefly introduced the background and present channel pattern of Sony and Haier.ChapterⅣcompared and analyzed strategy difference in marketing channel structure, relationship with traditional channel dealers, design and application of web channels, compared and analyzed flat TV set marketing channel difference in coverage area, official site function and marketing channel tactics, compared and analyzed sales in online shopping mall for the sake of verification of channel pattern's effect on brand level and market share.ChapterⅤsummarized developing law and trend of home appliance manufacturers'marketing channel pattern in China market, extracted Sony's marketing channel experience of considering both brand level and market share, gave suggestion to Haier for improvement of marketing channel pattern, and pointed out that Sony's marketing channel pattern affords Chinese home appliance manufacturers lessons that merit attention.Chapter VI listed issues, analysis process and conclusion of the paper, and pointed out the shortage of the paper and contents to be studied.The paper concluded that traditional channels will be existed with new channels. No channel will be replaced by other channel if the existed channel improves its environment and offers reasonable input-output ratio while segment market is divided. Generally speaking, home appliance manufacturers will adopt the marketing channel pattern of which channels are closer to the consumers, check each other, consider both long term and short term targets, rather than give up the cooperation with the traditional channel. Meanwhile, the difference of Sony and Haier channel pattern showed that in terms of channel choice, Sony prefers channels with equal level to Sony and put quality before quantity, while Haier prefers "the more, the better" and huge-crowd strategy. And in terms of channel management, Sony prefers comprehensive plan and clear demarcation of each authority and responsibility, while Haier prefers natural selection and gives exclusive priority to itself. The paper also considered that as a global brand, Haier should have more confidence, courage, magnanimity and great mind. Only pay attention to the consumer needs, support the development of channels, stick to brand position, bring the channel pattern into the brand strategy, devote to the management and strengthen the brand power can Haier promote its brand image, up-grade its competitive advantage and realize the global branding strategy.