Distribution: location, delivery and purchasing
Describe where you are based, how your product reaches the client and how you organize purchasing.
Step 11 of 18: Online business plan
Video: how to describe location, delivery and purchasing in the Business Planner.
Distribution sounds like something for wholesalers and web shops, but every business deals with it. Where do you work, how does your product or service reach the client, and how do your supplies reach you? A bakery with poor purchasing, or a practice in a place where nobody can park, notices it right away in its revenue. A financier knows that, and reads this part closely.
Four questions, one coherent story
The Business Planner asks four questions here. Together, they show how your business runs in practice.
- 01
The location of your business
Where are you based, how easy are you to reach for clients and suppliers, and why does this place suit your target group? If you work from home, mention that too.
- 02
The requirements for the location
How much space do you need, which facilities must be there, and which rules must the premises meet?
- 03
The distribution channels
How does your product reach the client: in the shop, online, through partners or at the client's home?
- 04
Purchasing
Who do you buy from, how often, and what do you do if a supplier cannot deliver?
Help with every question
Below each field is More info. It tells you what to think about for that question, such as your own requirements and external ones like permits. If you get stuck, Inspire gives you an example for your industry. If you already have a text, Improve turns it into a tighter version.
An example text is a starting point. Replace general sentences with your own situation: the street or neighborhood, your suppliers and the way you work. A financier spots a standard text immediately.
Example: the salon in De Pijp
The salon in the demo is on a busy shopping street in De Pijp, a few minutes from the Albert Cuyp market, with lots of passers-by and a tram stop around the corner. Clients book online, by phone or at the front desk. Hair care products are sold in the salon, right after the treatment. Purchasing runs through two regular suppliers instead of five, with an order every two weeks. That way, the owner shows that the day-to-day running of the business has been thought through.