The Performance of Multiple Channel Systems: a Configuration Approach

The strategic importance of marketing channels has been recognized by practitioners and researchers. Their long-term consequences make channel decisions one of the most strategically important elements of the marketing mix. They are even more critical in light of today?s multiple- channel systems. Despite its importance, multiple channel performance has received limited attention. This book addresses this issue by adopting a configuration theoretic approach to examine the fit between multiple-channel system structure, business strategy, and environmental conditions. Two ideal configurations of strategy, multiple- channel structure, and environment are offered and their existence is verified with data from a survey of 291 manufacturing firms. This book demonstrates that multiple-channel systems are able to make greatest contributions to firm performance when their structures are properly aligned with the strategy of the firm and with the environment. This work should help shed some light on multiple channel system performance, and should be useful to marketing professionals who may be in charge of channel design and strategy decisions.