Detergent Distribution
Plenty of countries manufacture detergent so it was not surprising
that we received requests to find reliable dealers in Asia.
In this case we had in mind the rebranding of a succesful product from
Africa to suit the local sensibilities. It may be “just detergent” but
packaging and container size ended up being important.
In addition to traditional ditribution by wholesalers and supermarkets
we managed to create an online demand through local online retailers.
New Distribution Network
Discussion with Principles
As a result of an established business relationship we already had a pretty good idea of the product range and the manufacturers capabilities. This was not a case of scouring the landscape for a supplier.
Our discussion centred on what was their “end goal” as this was crucial to how we would proceed.
Some companies are looking to expand their product range internationally through joint ventures and tight distribution channels while others simply want to get rid of excess stock or test the market with a small scale export program.
Our guys wanted the former and we talked to a range of detergent and cleaning dealers throughout Asia and generally found that second tier and mid sized companies were the keenest.
Import and packaging for Asian market
Samples and Packaging
While price and quality are paramount, there is not a lot we can do about the manufacturers production, which means we have to do a lot of background research before we even start to consider a company. Once this is sorted the search for local distributors can begin.
Much of the work revolved about showing samples of product and packaging to potential distributors and getting feedback from retailers and consumers. While there is always interest in the ex factory price, this is less important than one might imagine as ocean freight, insurance, local transportation and storage all play a role in determining the importers total cost per container. Then the retailers have their own costs. No wonder coffee is so expensive !
After several months of work we had a workable plan to start marketing to large retailers throughout Asia, with stockon the supermarket shelf by the sixth month.