Most manufacturers do not face a binary choice between selling direct and selling through channel partners; Master B2B’s research into channel dependence found the more resilient path is usually a deliberate hybrid, where direct ecommerce captures buyers who prefer to self-serve while distributors continue to handle relationship-driven, high-touch, or logistically complex accounts. Getting this right requires clear rules: which products or customer segments go through which channel, how pricing stays consistent enough not to undercut partners, and how the company communicates the strategy to its distributor network before launching direct sales, not after.
Hybrid distribution strategy
An approach that combines direct-to-buyer ecommerce with a traditional distributor or dealer network, rather than choosing one channel exclusively.
Learn more:
The End of Channel Dependence