52 Examples of Distribution

John Spacey, updated on October 25, 2023

Distribution is the process of selling and delivering products and services to customers. This is associated with marketing channels that are used to reach customers in different ways and different regions. The following are examples of distribution.

Retail	Ecommerce platforms
Online retail	Wholesale
Distributors	Personal selling
Resellers	Agents
Importers and exporters	Consulting
Consultative selling	Franchises
Mail order	Subscription boxes
Catalog sales	Telemarketing
Email marketing	Door-to-door sales
Shop-in-shop	Convenience stores
Department stores	Farmers markets
Pop-up shops	Vending machines
Automated retail	Kiosks
Direct sales	Brick-and-mortar retail
Bricks-and-clicks retail	Conferences and trade shows
Concessions	Event concessions
Digital marketing	Digital advertising
Digital marketplaces	Digital subscriptions
Media platforms	Game platforms
Booking platforms	App stores
Social media marketing	Influencer marketing
Affiliate marketing	Customer referrals
Partner marketing	Auctions
Flea markets	Garage sales
Consignment shops	Bidding on contracts
Public speaking	Word-of-mouth

Retail

An organic food brand opens its own chain of retail shops.

Retail Partners

A toy manufacturers sells through a network of retail partners.

International Retail Partners

A French furniture company operates its own retail locations in France and sells through retail partners in 18 other countries.

Wholesale

A sugar refiner sells to a sugar wholesaler.

Personal Selling

An information security consulting company sells its services directly to clients by networking at security and IT events.

Direct Marketing

An electronics company sells devices with television ads and a phone number.

Ecommerce

A cloud services provider sells its services exclusively through its website using internet advertising.

Direct Mail

A fashion brand develops a list of customers and sends them a full product catalog each season that drives telephone, internet and retail purchases.

Dealer Network

A automotive company sells through a network of authorized independently owned dealerships.

Value Added Reseller

A solar panel manufacturer partners with construction companies who sell the panels as an option on new buildings.

Sales Agents

A property developer sells through partnerships with a variety of sales agents.

Types of Distribution

Most distribution channels can be mapped to a handful of types such as retail, ecommerce, wholesale and direct sales. Each of these types has many variations. For example, retail has variations such as event concessions, franchises or pop-up shops.

Summary

Distribution is the process of reaching customers in order to sell to them and deliver your products and services. It is common for a single firm to use many methods of distribution. These methods are known as distribution channels.