As stated in the text, marketing channels for products and services shows the common marketing channels for consumer products and services. As the number of intermediaries between a producer and buyer increases, the length of the channel increases. As the manufacturer of a flat screen TV- some of the things that I would consider is: which channel will provide the best coverage of the target market; which channel will best satisfy the buying requirements of the target market; and which channel will be the most profitable?

The following are differences between those channels: Direct Channel: A direct channel is a marketing channel where a producer and ultimate consumers deal directly with each other. Since there are no intermediaries, the producer must perform all channel functions. Channel A (producer → consumer). Indirect Channel: Indirect channels are marketing channels where intermediaries are inserted between the producer and consumers. They perform numerous channel functions. Multichannel marketing is the blending of different communication and delivery channels that are mutually reinforcing in attracting, retaining, and building relationships with consumers who shop and buy in traditional intermediaries and online. It integrates a firm's electronic and delivery channels and leverages the value-adding capabilities of different channels. Dual distribution is an arrangement whereby a firm reaches different buyers by employing two or more different types of channels for the same basic product. In some instances, firms pair multiple channels with a multi-brand strategy to minimize the cannibalization of the firm's family brand and differentiate the channels. A firm also distributes modified products through different channels.Strategic channel alliances involve a practice whereby one firm's marketing channel is used to sell another firm's products. They are a recent innovation in marketing channels and are popular in global marketing, where the creation of marketing channel relationships is expensive and time consuming.

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