A C T A U N I V E R S I T A T I S L O D Z I E N S I S FO LIA OECONOM ICA 17, 1982
Janusz W itk o w s k i *
R E LA TIO N SH IP BETW EEN PROM OTION AND D ISTR IB U TIO N CH AN NELS
1. INTR OD U CTIO N
P re se n t-d a y conditions of fu n ctio n in g of th e socialist econom y m a-ke allow ances, to a larg e e x te n t, for im portance of th e m a rk e t m echanism . O bviously, w h a t w e m ean h e re is n ot an a u to m a tic ally fu n ctio -ning m a rk e t b u t a m a rk e t in w hich basic conditions of su p p ly and d e-m and should be d e te re-m in e d by th e c e n tra l plan.
P ro b lem s of th e consum er m a rk e t a t th e p re se n t stage of socio-eco-nom ic developm ent of P o land continue to re p re s e n t a v e ry im p o rta n t su b je c t of researches. T h eir im p ortance is u n d e rlin ed b y th e fact th a t „...program m es of la s t congresses of w o rk e rs’ p a rtie s and com m unist p a rtie s in E uropean socialist co u n tries o u tline th e place and functions of th e m a rk e t in th e co n te x t of goals and m eans of im p lem en tatio n of th e n e x t stage of socialism d e v e lo p m en t” 1.
A ssum ptions of th e socialist econom y confirm a need fo r fu ll sa-tisfactio n of social needs in given conditions of place and tim e. Close co rre la tio n b etw een physical tra n s fe r of pro d u cts by m eans of diffe-re n t system s (containers etc.), organization of m ark e tin g channels, and prom otional a c tiv ity is, th ere fo re , of such g rea t significance. T he p ro -m otional a c tiv ity is understood h ere, on one hand, as a syste-m of -m a r-k e t inform ation, in its w ide sense, being tra n s fe rre d in big q u a n titie s to all buyers, w hile, on th e o th e r hand, it is an im p o rta n t com ponent allo-w ing to c re a te dem and or affording possibilities for a sh ift of dem and to a n o th e r group of products. We should rem e m b e r h e re th a t in fo rm
a-* Doc. D r, I n s titu te of M ark etin g , U n iv e rsity of Łódź (Poland).
1 R. Z a b r z e w s k i, R y n e k k o n s u m p c y jn y na o b ec n ym etapie rozwojuI
so-c ja lizm u (C onsum er M a rk e t a t th e P re se n t S tag e of D ev elo p m en t of Soso-cialism ),
tion tra n s fe r is alw ays connected w ith fra g m e n ta ry decisions concerning such m a tte rs as 2:
a) to w hom an offer should be subm itted? b) w h a t co n ten ts should is contain?
c) w h a t term s, as contained in th e offer, can be accepted by th e o th er p arty ?
W hat w e m ean here are tw o stra te g ies of a c tiv ity in th e m arket. F irstly , w hen th e m ark e t is tre a te d as a hom ogeneous (u n d ifferen tiated ) system , and secondly, tak in g into account its segm entation, w e divide the w hole m a rk e t into a p p ro p ria te groups of b u y e rs a n d /o r and users.
C orrelations b etw een m ark e tin g channels and prom otion a re e ith e r of com p lem en tary or su b stitu tio n a l ty p e according to th e accepted p ro -gram m e of th e m a rk e t policy being d e p e n d en t upon c h aracteristics of th e product. T h a t is w hy, in practice w e a re dealing w ith th e follo-w ing a lte rn a tiv e s (P ush and P u ll concept):
a) w ith an a c tiv ity aim ed a t b ringing p ro d u cts n e a re r to a p o ten tia l b u y e r by a p ro p er ad ap ta tio n of th e m ark e tin g system — local stores, freq u en cy of deliveries, w id th and d e p th of a sso rtm e n t etc. W e m ean here, first of all, p ro ducts pu rch ased daily (staple foods and o th er articles);
b) w ith an a c tiv ity aim ed a t a ttra c tio n of th e p o ten tia l b u y e r to th e pro d u ct by m eans of a p ro p er application of th e prom otional activity. This re fe rs m ain ly to a rticles pu rch ased in fre q u e n tly — clothing, con-su m er d u rab le s etc. B oth in th e firs t and second case, a fin al social verification and acceptance of a p ro d u ct by p o ten tial b u y e rs is p e r-form ed by th e sale-p u rch ase act in a d efin ite lin k of a m ark e tin g channel. T herefore, in both these solutions, w e should not forget about th e im p o rtan ce and role of th e p ro d u ct itself as w ell as about its p ro -per disp lay in th e selling point. E quipm ent of d istrib u tio n lin k s w ith ap p ro p riate m eans fac ilita tin g d isp lay of p ro ducts and active a ttitu d e of selling personnel allow to c re a te a fav o u rab le com m ercial clim ate being decisive for th e success of a sale.
We a re of an opinion th a t assurance of freedom of choice fo r in d i-vidual consum ption does not en su re au to m atically its rea liz a tio n in ca-tegories of social ratio n ality . Am ong others, a p ro p erly conducted in the longer ru n tra d e policy — understood as all principles, m ethods, and m eans applied by economic u n its to achieve a d e fin ite goal in th e m ark e t — is of utm ost significance. One of its in stru m e n ts is prom o-tional activ ity , w hich tra d itio n a lly includes:
— advertising,
— sales prom otion, — personal selling, — public relations.
E ffective m an ag em en t of th ese m eans rep re se n ts one of m ore im por-ta n t p re se n t problem s of th e m a rk e t policy (m ark etin g strategy).
2. R E L A T IO N S H IP BETW EEN PRO M O TIO N AND D IS T R IB U T IO N CHANNELS T he m ost im p o rta n t place in w hich both c o m p lem en tary and su b stitu tio n a l rela tio n s a re co n c en tra te d a re p a rtic u la r lin k s of d istrib u -tio n al channels, and th u s — stores of th e re ta il netw ork. T hey are th e last b u t one phase of th e physical tra n s fe r of p ro d u cts from p ro -duction to consum ption sphere, and sim u ltan eo u sly th e y c o n stitu te an im p o rta n t vehicle of prom otion by providing possibilities of d isplaying th e pro d u ct itself and its packaging. In th e w hole process of com m uni-cation, by w hich w e u n d e rsta n d th e prom otional a c tiv ity 3, th e re ta il n e tw o rk — from th is point of view — reg ard less of th e size of sto res and form of provided services, is of p rin cip al im portance. We a re obviously not try in g to analyze here, in a n y detail, th e basic c h a ra c te -ristics of th e com m unication system u n d erstood as exchange of in fo r-m ation b etw een th e e r-m itte r and th e rec ep to r by r-m eans of a se t of sym bols both th ro u g h p u b lic ity m edia and d istrib u tio n channels.
P la n n in g of th e prom otional a c tiv ity consists in such organization of a system , w hich allow s to co -o rd in ate all effo rts in elab o ratio n and im p lem en tatio n of th e w hole selling stra te g y . F o rm a tio n of a stra te g y encom passes decisions concerning in stru m e n ts and activ ities connected w ith prom otion of sales in th e m ark et. Decisions ta k e n w hile fo rm u la -tin g a selling stra te g y depend upon ru les of m an ag em en t of com pany activ ity , and p rim a rily on fixed objectives and in te rn a l as w ell as e x te rn a l conditions being shaped d ire c tly or in d ire c tly by th e c e n tra l m anagem ent body, and upon th e fact th a t th is stra te g y does not consti-tu te a sep ara te form of com pany a c tiv ity in th e m ark e t, b u t it is an elem en t of a n in te g ra te d strateg y .
F o rm u latio n of th e m a rk e t s tra te g y (sales prom otion) encom passes firs t of all:
a) selection of sales prom otion in stru m e n ts;
b) definition of th e scope of application of p a rtic u la r in stru m e n ts and th e ir ro le in th e stra te g y ;
3 M. B r z o s t o w s k i , J. S z y m c z a k , Działalność p ro m o cy jn a je d n o ste k gospodarczych w Polsce (P ro m o tio n al A ctiv ity of Econom ic U n its in P oland), „B
i-b lio tek a IH W iU ”, 1978, pp. 8—19.
c) selection and d e te rm in a tio n of m ethods of ap plication of p a r ti-c u la r in stru m e n ts of sales prom otion. , j j »..
O n th e basis of th ese p re re q u isite s w e can define th e im p o rtan ce of prom otion in th e c o n te m p o ra ry m a rk e t th e a im of w h ich is to d y -nam ize proceeds of sales b o th of new p ro d u cts a n d of those w hich h av e been a lre a d y placed on th e m a rk e t th ro u g h increase of th e n u m b e r of
b u y e rs and th e ir d e m a n d 4.
I «.
. I
3. R E L A T IO N S H IP BETW EEN TH E STA G E OF TH E PR O D U C T'S L IF E CYCLE AND M EANS EM PLOYED IN PA R T IC U L A R STA G ES OF PRO M O TIO N
CA M PA IG N
t i • *. ! " Г " ' ? . . . t .
In m an y cases th e prom otional a c tiv ity is launched m uch e a rlie r th a n th e p ro d u ct itself reaches d istrib u tio n units. T im e period lapsing b etw een passing th e firs t in fo rm atio n ab o u t th e p ro d u ct and its in tro -du ction to d istrib u tio n ch an n els is la rg e ly d iffe re n tia te d . I t is even d iffic u lt to a tte m p t h e re a n y co rrect an d e x act tax o n o m y as in eco-nom ic p rac tic e th ese activ ities a re not alw ays fu lly im p lem en ted in a sy stem atic w a y based on som e ru le s of b e h a v io u r (Table 1).
T a b l e 1 T hese re la tio n sh ip ca n be g rap h ic a lly p re se n te d in th e follow ing w ay
Stage of product
life cycle Promotion stage > «•« I £Promotion means
Degree of promotional
activity intensification
Product informative shaping of relations moderate
development promotion with environment
Product advertising, very strong
introduction sales promotion, moderate
into the personal very strong
market selling
Market growth consolidating advertising moderate
Market maturity promotion personal strong
and saturation selling
sales
promotion strong
public moderate
relations
Sales decline reminder advertising strong
promotion sales promotion very strong
personal strong
selling
4 L. P o l a n o w s k i , K o m p le k so w y zasięg działalności m a rk e tin g o w e j p rze d
pe-Since its in tro d u c tio n into th e m a rk e t, th e p ro d u ct finds itse lf in lin k s of d istrib u tio n channels w hich since th a t m o m en t becom e an im p o rta n t elem en t of th e prom otion pro g ram m e re p re s e n tin g an essen -tia l vehicle of a d v e rtisin g th ro u g h p ro d u ct display in th e shop w indow and inside th e shop. R egardless of th e inten sificatio n deg ree of d iffe -r e n t p-rom otion m eans in p a rtic u la r cam paigns encom passing d efin ite stages, effective physical tra n s fe r of th e p ro d u ct to th e d istrib u tio n system is of fu n d am e n ta l im p ortance fo r th e success of th e p ro d u ct in th e m ark e t. It should secure provision of th e p ro d u ct in su fficien t q u a n -titie s to reta il- o u tlets, w hich a re conv en ien t fo r buyers. We should not fo rg e t h e re obviously ab o u t b e h av io u r of d iffe re n t consum er groups in rela tio n to p ro ducts in th e m ark e t, th e a ttitu d e s of w hich d e te rm in e th e volum e of d eliveries in tim e. E specially w h e n in tro d u c in g a n ew p ro -d u c t into th e m a rk e t it becom es necessary to ta k e Into account th e tim e of b u y e rs ’ response to in fo rm atio n tra n s m itte d th ro u g h v arious a d v e rtisin g m edia. F rom th is p o in t of view , w e a re m eeting d iffe re n t groups of b u y e rs re p re se n tin g d iffe re n t psychological a ttitu d e s, w hich can be divided in to such groups as; recklessness, lead ersh ip , reason, scepticism , and c o n s e rv a tis m 5. T hese a ttitu d e s m u st be ta k e n in to account w hen e lab o ratin g a n y p rom otion program m e.
The second sp h ere of prom otion a c tiv ity connected w ith lay in g em phasis on d iffe re n t selling seasons, tra d itio n a lly associated w ith d e-fin ite seasons of th e y ear, is closely c o rre la ted w ith th e stage of th e p ro d u c t’s life cycle. P rom otional activ ities a re th e n focussed on p ro v i-din g in fo rm atio n ab o u t location of re ta ilin g netw o rk , and ab o u t p ro d u cts w hich have e n te re d consecutive stages of th e ir life cycle (m a tu rity an d sales decline).
B oth th ese sp heres of th e p rom otion p ro g ram m e in th e fin a l calcu-latio n a re closely lin k ed w ith th e d istrib u tio n sy stem a n d effective ope-ra tio n of its d iffe re n t links.
ra tio n s of C om panies in th e S ocialist M arket), „Zeszyty N au k o w e A kadem ii E ko-n om iczko-nej im . К . A dam ieckiego w K ato w ic a c h ” 1975, 2(56), p. 19.
5 D ivision of b u y e rs acco rd in g to th e tim e of p u rc h a sin g of m a rk e t n o v elties p ro d u ces th e follow ing gro u p s: in n o v a to rs (2.5%); e a rly b u y e rs (13.5%); c o n se r-v a tir-v e s (34%); r-v e ry c o n serr-v atir-v e b u y e rs (34%); a rc h a ic b u y e rs (16%). E. L a n g e , J. M e y e r , P rincipes et p ra tiq u e d u m a rke tin g , P a ris 1975, p. 84. A n o th e r d iv i-sion in clu d es; in n o v a to rs (3— 5% ); p ru d e n t b u y e rs (10— 25%); ca u tio u s b u y e rs (15—20%); passive b u y e rs (45—60%); a n d la n g u id b u y e rs (5— 10%). E. K u c h a r -s k a , O p a kow anie -sprzedaje to w a r (P ro m o tio n al V alue of P ackaging), „R e k la m a ” 1976, No. 10, p. 4.
4. R E L A T IO N S H IP BETW EEN A D V ER TISIN G M EDIA AND D ISTR IB U TIO N CHANNELS
In th e w hole system of m ark e t com m unication th e re ex ist close co rrelatio n s betw een d istrib u tio n ch an n els — p rom oting pro d u cts and th e ir packaging in re ta ilin g outlets, and a d v ertisin g m edia — p u blici-zing in form ation about products. Each p o ten tia l b u y er, w ho is reached b y in fo rm atio n about products tra n s m itte d by d iffe re n t ad v e rtisin g m edia, can perfo rm con fro n tatio n of th is in form ation in p a rtic u la r links of d istrib u tio n channels. As it w as m entioned above, lin k s of d is tri-bu tio n channels rep re s e n t an im p o rta n t m eans of prom otion. T he d iffer ren c e b etw e en lin k s of d istrib u tio n ch an n els as a prom otion m eans and o th ers consists in th e fact th a t we a re dealing h e re w ith a real product, w hile in th e case of o th er prom otion m eans w e have only g eneral in fo r-m atio n about its properties. The co rre la tio n b etw een th er-m lies in th e fact th a t in p re se n t socio-econom ic conditions w e cannot re ly on only one of th ese m eans as th e y m u st be utilized in a p rogram m ed and closely in te g ra te d m anner. A n o th er sp h ere of c o rrelatio n s is a c cu ra te ly defined by T. Sztucki ®, w ho says th a t relatio n s b etw een prom otion m eans and levels as w ell as in te rm e d ia ry links, cau se th a t „...the bigger th e n u m b er of m ark e t m iddlem en th e bigger th e need for prom otion and ad v ertisin g , and th e bigger th e possibility of d ire c t personal selling th e s m a lle r th e need fo r application of p rom otion and a d v e rtisin g ”.
The sta te of adv ertisin g m edia m u st be analyzed from th e point of view of th e n u m b er of population in th e p ro d uction age (18 — 59/64 y e a rs of age), and th u s of th e p o p ulation w hich m ostly tak es p u rc h a -sing decisions. A n o th er im p o rta n t p re re q u isite is rep re sen te d by th e n u m b e r and s tru c tu re of households. i
The second im p o rta n t factor is degree of possibilities fo r em ploym ent o f th ese m eans and su b o rd in atio n of th e a d v e rtise r as w ell as th e scope
of influence e x e rted on a d efinite m a rk e t segm ent.
B asically, display of goods in a re ta il o u tle t cannot be associated w ith m an ip u latio n of a selected m a rk e t segm ent as it is — reg ard less of a sso rtm e n t d iv ersification — accessible to a ll p o ten tia l buyers. O nly o th e r a d v ertisin g m edia can rea c h a d e fin ite m a rk e t segm ent.
I t re fe rs to such ad v e rtisin g m edia as press, w hich w ith its n ew s-papers and m agazines ap p earin g in colourful editions and w ith d iffe-r e n t fiffe-req u en cy , can iffe-reach ta iffe-rg e t m a iffe-rk e t segm ents, w ith th e in te n sity
* T. S z t u c k i , K a n a ły r y n k u . C z y n n ik i kszta łto w a n ia — k ie r u n k i ro zw o ju (M arket C hannels. F a c to rs of F o rm a tio n — D evelopm ent T rends), „B iblioteka IH W iU ” 1978, p. 21.
of its im pact depending upon th e size of circulation. P roviding a pro -p e r s-pace for a d v ertisem en ts, th is m edium of a d v ertisin g is of g re a t im p ortance now th a t ev erybody can read.
O th e r m edia of ad v e rtisin g include:
a) Cinem as, th e n u m b er of w hich, th e n u m b er of seats and p e rfo r-m ances and especially th e n u r-m b er of spectato rs to w hor-m a d v ertisin g in fo rm atio n is p rese n ted in form of d iffe re n t com m ercials — re m a in a t a su b sta n tia l level;
b) Radio com m ercials of bo th c e n tra l and local broad castin g stations, allocating a considerable po rtio n of th e ir em ission tim e to com m ercials, re p re s e n t qu ite an im p o rta n t a d v ertisin g m edium fo r som e groups of buyers. O bviously th e effectiveness of th is m edium depends upon th e n u m b er of w ireless-sets possessed by households;
c) Television c o n stitu tes an especially im p o rta n t m edium of a d v e r-tising as it can broadcast ad v e rtisin g p rogram m es (com m ercials) also in colour. Its effectiveness, as it w as th e case w ith radio broadcasts, depends upon th e n u m b er of TV sets in households.
d) P rin tin g capacities, d e te rm in in g th e n u m b er a n d colouring of folders, catalogues, leaflets and o th e r form s of ad v e rtisin g publications, a re also of some im p ortance here. T hey are handed to d e fin ite m a rk e t segm ents in p a rtic u la r stages of th e prom otion cam paign (d istrib u te d in places of dw elling, tra n s p o rt facilities, w ork places and re ta il n e t-w ork) ;
e) F in a lly w e should m en tio n h e re s tre e t hoard in g s and o th er places w h ere p o sters can be displayed like w aiting-room s belonging to d iffe-r e n t m eans of m ass tiffe-ra n sp o iffe-rt, public offices, sp o iffe-rt stad iu m s etc.
T here is expressed an idea th a t in p re se n t socio-econom ic condi-tions w e a re d ealing w ith „In fo rm atio n E xplosion” , being a consequence of u n p reced en ted sa tu ra tio n of th e society w ith technical m eans of tr a n -sfe r and reception of in fo rm a tio n 7. H ence th e need fo r v e ry precise definition of proportions and rela tio n s b etw een in fo rm atio n being tra n s -ferred , stim uli encouraging purchases of d efin ite p ro d u cts and th e ir sta te in th e d istrib u tio n system on one hand, and th e need of w ith d ra -w ing from d istrib u tio n channels p ro ducts being in th e ir m ark e t decline
7 T oday th e re a re o v er one b illion ra d io sets in th e w orld, 25,000; b ro a d -ca stin g stations, 400 m ilion TV sets, over 100 te le g rap h ic agencies, th o u sa n d s of n e w sp a p e rs a n d m agazines. T h e re com e o u t o v er 1,500 books a day. J. К o- s z e 1 o w, Wr O r e l , R ozpo w szech n ia n ie in fo rm a c ji, opinie p ubliczne, sto su n k i
m ięd zyn a ro d o w e (D issem ination of In fo rm a tio n , P u b lic O pinion, In te rn a tio n a l R
stage on th e o th e r hand. D etailed r esearches in th is field re p re s e n t a basis for tak in g rig h t d e c isio n s8.
5. PER SO N A L SELLIN G AS AN ELEM ENT OF PRO M O TIO N IN D IS T R IB U T IO N CHANNELS
P e rso n a l selling is of special im p ortance in m u tu a l relatio n s b etw e en prom otion and d istrib u tio n system . K now ledge of salesm en about ch a-rac teristics of products, th e ir pro p erties, w a y of using a re v e ry im por-ta n t in prom otion of sales. If we add to it th e ir politeness and kindness com bined w ith a w ide selection of p ro ducts encom passed b y th e p ro m otional activity, w e shall discover th a t it is in th is place th a t c o rre latio n s b etw een prom otion and d istrib u tio n channels becom e m ost p ro -nounced.
Of course, th e m o tivation system of salesm en ’s a ttitu d e s an d th e w hole prom otion p rogram m e a re d e te rm in e d by both th e level and in te n sity of tra in in g in th e field of new products, th e ir u tility functions etc. and th e w hole m otivation and stim u la tio n system along w ith influence of sales prom otion m eans a t th e tim e of d iffe re n t prom otion cam paigns connected w Ä th e stage of p ro d u ct life cycle and a d efin ite selling season.
T he em phasis laid on a ttitu d e s of salesm en in th e prom otion m ix r e -su lts from th e fact th a t effectiveness of personal selling is visible ex a ctly in th e system of d iffe re n t lin k s of d istrib u tio n channels.
6. ROLE O F PA C K A G IN G IN PRO M O TIO N AND IN D IST R IB U T IO N CHANNELS
T he m ost im p o rta n t stage of e v e ry prom otion cam paign is th e im pact of th e p ro d u ct disp lay itse lf concerning th e p ro d u ct in its place of selling, w ith com prehensive co-operation of a ll in fo rm atio n m edia and prom otion m eans being ch aracterized w ith th e biggest in te n s ity in e sta -blishing a d ire c t co n tact b etw een a p o ten tia l b u y e r in a d efin ite m a rk e t segm ent and th e prom oted product.
S ystem atic expansion and deepening of a sso rtm e n t of p ro d u cts being launched in th e m a rk e t and th e need fo r acceleratin g th e ir c ircu latio n
8 J. D i e t l , T. D o m a ń s k i , B adania m a rk e tin g o w e ja k o p o d sta w a p o d
ejm o w a n ia d e c y zji (M arketing R esearch es as a B asis for D ecisionM aking), „H an
ca ll fo r in tro d u c tio n ' of m odern form s of selling. T h e ir developm ent, fir s t of all in th e form of self-service netw o rk , is d ep e n d e n t on a p p li-c a tio n of p ro p er pali-ckaging a p a rt fro m m an y o th e r fali-ctors.
T h e re ex ists h e re a relatio n sh ip , w hich is still u n d e re stim ate d , b e-tw e e n d ev elopm ent of m odern form s of selling and d iffe re n tia tio n of packagings ad ap ted to d iffe re n t m a rk e t segm ents. T his seg m en tatio n re s u lts on one h a n d from th e level of iricomes in households and th e n u m b er of fam ily m em bers, w hile on th e o th e r h a n d it is a re s u lt of su ch social phenom ena as e.g. m ass expansion of to u rism in its diffe-r e n t fodiffe-rm s.
In p a rtic u la r stages of m a rk e tin g process goods a re o ften tra n slo c a -ted. On th e ir w ay from th e place of p ro d uction goods m u st be counted, piled and h an d led bo th in p ro d uction and w holesale as w ell as re ta ilin g units. T hese o p eratio n s are v e ry tim e-consum ing a n d expensive, espe-cially in th e final .links of th e m a rk e tin g chain.
In th e m ark e tin g policy th e packaging receives v e ry im p o rta n t task s, w hich m u st be fu lfille d in a d efin ite b ran c h m ark e t. T hese task s a re accom plished th ro u g h u tilizatio n of u tility and in stru m e n ta l fu n c tio n s of packaging. U tility fu n ctio n s include p ro tectio n of product, fa -c ilita te d storage, tra n sp o rt, selling and use of th e -c o n te n ts (m anipula-tio n f a c to r) 9. In stru m e n ta l fu n canipula-tio n s a re u tilized in a d e fin ite m a rk e t th ro u g h d iffe re n tia tio n of th e size of portions, ap plication of g rap h ic a n d colouring form s, and c o n ten ts of th e in cluded in form ation. P a c k a -gings fu lfillin g th ese functions c o n stitu te a n im p o rta n t ele m en t of th e m a rk e t policy a p a rt from such factors as th e q u a lity of th e p ro d u ct itself, p ro p e rly fixed prices, m a rk e t position, fa m ilia rity w ith th e b ran d , org an izatio n of d istrib u tio n channels and prom otion.
D evelopm ent of m odern tra d e form s, and especially of th e s e lf-se r-vice system a re la rg e ly d e p e n d en t upon deliveries of a rticle s in u n it packaging. R apid d ev elopm ent of th e self-service g e n e ra te d a need fo r in tro d u c tio n of new tech n iq u es in th e field of packagings, w hich beco-m e an indispensable ele beco-m en t of th is fo rbeco-m of tra d e , p e rfo rbeco-m in g a basic ro le in it. M odern tra d e in tro d u c in g new form s of selling services poses grow ing req u irem e n ts before u n it packagings, w hich o ften tim e d e te r-m ine w h e th e r a p ro d u ct is b o u g h t or n o t 10. T he ro le of packagings is grow ing along w ith fu rth e r expansion of th e selfservice system , in tro
-» A. K n a b l , V erp a c ku n g im D ienste des V erb ra u ch ers, [in:] V e rb ra u ch e
r-p o litik . W est D eutscher Verlag, ed. I. Bock, N. G. S r-pecht, K ö ln u n d O r-plad en
1958, pp. 188— 197.
»® J. W i t k o w s k i , Rola o p a ko w a ń na r y n k u a r ty k u łó w ży w n o śc io w y c h
duction of vending-m achines and along w ith fu lle r sa tu ra tio n of th e m a rk e t w ith consum er goods. F or packagings to perfo rm th e ir tasks in th e self-service system th e y m u st m eet d efin ite req u irem en ts. They m u st p ro te c t th e product not only d u rin g tra n sp o rt from th e p roducer to th e sto re and in th e process of selling, b u t also d u rin g tra n sp o rt to co n su m er’s prem ises, and n e x t in th e course of th e p ro d u ct u tiliz a -tion — u n til th e w hole co n ten ts of th e packaging have been used up. On th e o th e r hand, a packaging m u st sim u ltan eo u sly p ro tect th e envi-ro n m e n t fenvi-rom u n d esirab le sm ells and th e ir m u tu al p en etratio n .
U nit packagings m u st facilitate th e selling process th ro u g h conve-n ie conve-n t m aconve-n ip u latio conve-n of goods aconve-nd possibility of th e ir buyiconve-ng iconve-n q u a conve-n ti-ties m eeting consum er req u irem e n ts. A t p re se n t th is function in u n d e going a considerable evolution as a re s u lt of new re q u ire m e n ts p u t fo r-w a rd by buyers.
The basic point is th a t packaging should be p ractical and com for-tab le in its size and shape so th a t th e p ro duct can be sto red in re fri-g erators, k itch en cupboards, on shelves, and also p e rfo rm its task s in tra v e l and cam ping conditions. It is e q u a lly im p o rta n t th a t th e packa-ging should be d iffe re n tia te d in its size and contain sm all portions for single consum ption.
W ithin th e fra m ew o rk of its h an d lin g function, an essential task of th e packaging is to fac ilita te sales. A p ro d u ct in its u n it packaging should be easy in handling. It goes for storing, display on shelves etc.
Packaging in a tra d itio n al sto re should fac ilita te contact b etw een th e se lle r and th e b u y er, sim plify and sh o rte n tim e of selling th u s in cre a -sing efficiency of w ork.
In th e self-service system , th e packaging m ust rep lace th e seller, facilitate p ro d u ct display inside a sto re and its easy han d lin g in all conditions.
Packaging plays a v e ry im p o rta n t role in p ro d u ct p ro m o tio n 11. Its im portance re su lts not only from functions perfo rm ed by it b u t also from th e fact th a t developm ent of m odern form s of selling depends on application of ap p ro p riate packaging m aking it possible to sh o rte n a c ti-vities connected w ith p u rch asin g various articles. A special role is assum ed by packaging in th e self-service system , w h ere in a direct contact betw een th e b u y er and th e product in co n stitu tes a facto r of sales prom otion often affecting a decision of selecting or b uying a de-finite article.
7. R E L A T IO N SH IP BETW EEN SA LES PRO M O TIO N M EANS, D IST R IB U T IO N CH A N NELS AND P R IC IN G POLICY
D iffe ren t m eans of sales prom otion a re eq u a lly stro n g ly connected w ith d istrib u tio n c h a n n e ls 12. T hey include all kinds of com petitions, coupons in se rte d in to packaging of products, souvenirs, prem ium s, and price discounts. P ro p e r sales prom otion m eans em ployed by d iffe re n t prom otion cam paigns, w hile affectin g alm ost in sta n ta n e o u sly a ttitu d e s of b u y e rs and sellers, produce d efin ite effects in d istrib u tio n channel links and in th e pricing policy system . These effects a re rev ealed in increase of sales. Of course, th e ir op eratio n is of s h o rt-te rm c h aracter, b u t a p a rt from th e ir im m ediate effects th e y prom ote stro n g ties of b u y e rs w ith a given b ra n d or a d efinite segm ent of d istrib u tio n c h an -nels.
W ithin th e fram ew o rk of these m eans th e re a re produced d iffe re n t incentives for salesm en in th e form of v arious ty p es of prem iu m s for sale of d efin ite q u a n titie s of p ro ducts in tim e units. T he effectiveness of these form s of m an ip u la tin g th e a ttitu d e s of salesm en is of great im p ortance in rem oving p ro ducts being in th e fin al stage of th e ir life cycle from d istrib u tio n channels.
S im ilarly, sh o rt-te rm sales c o n trib u te to cleaning of d istrib u tio n ch an n els from such products. On th e o th e r hand, th e y provide a signal of th e b u y e rs ’ reaction to th ese m easures, w hich can be used in elabo-ra tin g a fu tu re pricing policy. These periodical price reductions, w hich do n ot possess a com m on and m ass c h a ra c te r, lead to increased elastic ity of th e prielasticing polielasticy a t a given plaelastice and tim e for d efin ite p ro -ducts. T hey stim u la te d em and w ith o u t th e necessity of em ploying cen-tra l decisions o b ligatory on th e m ass scale and u n n ecessary in o th e r centres.
It is qu ite d ifficult to se p a ra te d istin ctly sales prom otion m eans from o th e r m eans of prom otion. I t seem s th a t none of th ese m eans are so in te g ra lly connected w ith d istrib u tio n ch an n els as d iffe re n t form s of sales prom otion being addressed to d ire c t buyers, in te rm e d ia te links an d salesm en. T hey have one th in g on com m on, and n am ely th e y s ti-m u la te a ttitu d e s not only of b u y e rs b u t also of sellers, w hile th e ir rela tio n s w ith th e pricing policy ow ing to ap p lication of d iffe re n t p erio -dical price red u ctio n s c o n stitu te a p ro p er solution in te g ra tin g d iffe re n t activ ities in th e m ark et.
12 J. S z y m c z a k , P rom ocja sp rzed a ży ja k o c z y n n ik kszta łto w a n ia p o p y tu (Sales P ro m o tio n as a F acto r of D em and M anipulation), „B ib lio tek a IH W iU ” 1974.
8. CONCLUSION
Sum m ing up our rem ark s, w e should u n d e rlin e th e close re la tio n -ships and co rrelatio n s w hich ap p e ar b etw een th e prom otional activ ity , d istrib u tio n channels and o th e r m eans of th e m ark e tin g policy. U n d e r-estim atio n of these relatio n sh ip s and m u tu a l correlations, w hich toge-th e r form toge-th e m a rk e tin g policy bo toge-th in toge-th e stra te g ic and ta c tic a l approach, m ay produce m an y dislocations in activ ities of a given eco-nom ic u nit. O bviously, th e degree of in te rre la tio n depends on ty p e of p roduct, accepted s tra te g y of op eratio n in th e m a rk e t in a lo n g er ru n , and degree of influence of factors d istu rb in g th e accepted ru le s of p ro -cedure. N onetheless, in each case th e prom otional a c tiv ity c o n trib u te s to b e tte r satisfactio n of needs of end u sers th ro u g h d istrib u tio n channels.
J a n u sz 'W itkow ski
ZALEŻNOŚĆ M IĘDZY PR O M O C JĄ A K A NA ŁA M I D Y STRY BU C JI
W a rty k u le pod jęto p ró b ę p rz e d sta w ie n ia zależności ja k ie zachodzą m iędzy poszczególnym i śro d k am i pro m o cji a fu n k cjo n o w a n iem k an a łó w d y stry b u cji. Te zależności p rze d staw io n o ja k o k o n se k w e n cję p rzy w ią zy w an ia coraz w ięk szej u w ag i do z a sp o k a ja n ia p o trzeb p o te n cja ln y c h nab y w có w n a ry n k u . W ty m k o n te k ście p rze d staw io n o zw iązki k o m p le m e n ta rn e i s u b sty tu c y jn e pro m o cji z k a n a ła m i d y -stry b u cji, ja k o w ażnego sk ła d n ik a p rz y ję te j stra te g ii p o stę p o w an ia n a o kreślo-n y m ry kreślo-n k u .
W ro zw aż an ia ch w sk azan o n a zależność stosow anych środków p ro m o cji od fazy cyklu życia p ro d u k tu i sezonów h andlow ych, ro lę ogniw k an a łó w d y s try -b u cji ja k o w ażnego k o m p o n e n ta p ro m o cji oraz w spółzależność p o lity k i cen z śro d k am i p o p ie ra n ia sprzedaży.
