Nestlé in Brazil is using door-to-door selling to reach low-income neighborhoods; Dell computers provides home delivery for its products; Avon is using sales representatives and other companies are using other methods to reach consumers

Describe different channels that can be used for reaching the customers.

Marketing channels exist in order to create utility for customers. These utilities can be place utility, time utility, form utility, or information utility. Thus, the selection of a marketing channel depends on the target market which a manufacturer is planning to reach. Various companies have used innovative channel distribution methods. Distribution channels are systems that link manufacturers to customers. Although channels for consumer products and industrial products are similar, there are also some distinct differences. In business-to-consumer marketing (B2C) consumer channels are designed to put products in the hands of consumers. In the case of business-to-business (B2B), industrial channels deliver products to manufacturers or other types of organizations that use them as inputs in the production process or in other types of operations. Agents and distributors are commonly used as intermediaries. With the increased use of technology, peer-to-peer (p-to-p) marketing is becoming popular, whereby individual consumers market products to other individuals. eBay pioneered a form of online commerce which has gained popularity, and many companies are using it as a channel for distribution. Door-to-door selling has been a traditional channel which is also currently in use. For example, in Japan, auto manufacturers use door-to-door selling. Another direct selling alternative is the manufacturer-owned store or independent franchise store. In many countries where manufacturers cannot own stores, franchising is a very popular method. Other channel structure alternatives for consumer products include various combinations of a manufacturer's sales force and wholesalers calling on independent retail outlets. Piggyback marketing is another channel innovation whereby one manufacturer obtains product distribution by utilizing another company's distribution channels.