A Perceptual Study of Distributors of White goods for Measuring their Level of Satisfaction

Developing countries such as India and China have largely been shielded from the backlash of the recession, as consumers continued to buy basic appliances. As the market spreads out from saturated urban regions to low penetration rural areas and tier II/III towns, distribution network will play ever more significant role in determining market share and profitability. This has created a situation where identifying the factors that motivate distributors have become imperative. This paper attempts to measure the satisfaction level of the distributors with the marketing policies and practices of white goods companies as perceived by them. It has been concluded that Provision of formal training program for the distributors’ sales persons and technicians by the companies is not sufficient. The distributors reported moderate satisfaction with the sales efforts of the company. The satisfaction with profit margins, promotion efforts and credit policy as perceived by the distributors of various companies was found significantly different. The factors that motivate them are Dealers’ Meets, qualified Sales & Service Team and Demo Products.