Electronic commerce, marketing channels and logistics platforms––a wholesaler perspective
Niklas Aldin, Fredrik Stahre *
Department of Management and Economics, Link€oping Institute of Technology, International Graduate School of Management and Industrial Engineering (IMIE), Logistics Management, SE-581 83 Link€oping, Sweden
Abstract
Electronic commerce may impose new demands which the supply chain has to react to, while at the same time being anenablerofeffectivemarketingandlogistics.Thispaperdescribesalternativestrategiesforwholesalersconducting electronic commerce and how logistics may support the development of marketing channels and improve flexibility. Related issues with logistics implications are the decisions whether or not to use multiple channels and if intermediaries should totally bypass dealers, or rather collaborate by letting them manage the marketing relations and bypass them logistically.Theconceptof‘‘logisticsplatforms’’isdiscussed,basedonempiricalfindings.Empiricallythebaseisacase study of an intermediary with extensive use of business-to-business electronic commerce in a supply chain with inde- pendentdealers.Thepapercomparestheoreticalaspectswithfindingsfromthecaseandgivessomeindicationsofthe potential of electronic commerce and logistics platforms.
Ó 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Supply chain management; Marketing channels; Logistics platform; Electronic commerce; Flexibility