DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT

Distribution management

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion4

Restaurant Distribution Channels5

Telephone reservations5

Online reservations5

Third-party site6

Restaurant website7

Prioritizing Distribution Management Issues7

Customer preferences7

Incrementality8

Other ancillary services9

A Glimpse To The Future9

Growth of mobile applications9

Continued growth of third-party reservations sites10

Possible commoditization of restaurants10

The emergence of customer relationship management10

The emergence of computerized restaurant revenue management11

Discount coupon allocation12

Minimum party size restrictions12

Conclusion12

Distribution Management

Introduction

The distribution management is a process that can be done virtually or outside the boundaries of the physical location of a company. From the manufacturer to the customer, through portals or websites, logistics can be dynamic and complex. For effective distribution management requires knowledge of the inventory in real time, and to request and deliver applications to create the most important links needed to optimize the supply chain. To improve distribution processes, IT can enable the integration of customers and suppliers via portals and e-commerce sites, and link the systems on major units, such as manufacturers and distributors to manage costs and facilitate the processes efficient and based on the claim that promote accuracy and agility (Zineldin, 2004). Internally, collaborative systems are aligned with marketing, sales and customer service with specific and actionable information, improving processes, customer service, price and selection of products to reduce costs and increase sales.

In addition to having innovative collaboration tools, an infrastructure must meet the demands of security, performance and uptime of a business. When the stability of the infrastructure supports the strategy of distribution management is easier to comply with current legislation and government customers important information is more secure (Browne & Gomez, 2011). Therefore, business continuity throughout the distribution management process ensures the integrity of orders and uptime, and reliable distribution provides tools for employees and business partners. The purpose of this discussion is to highlight the fact that distribution management consists of many competitive activities which are mutually reinforcing. The discussion will critically highlight how these activities should be structured to make sure that the way the products are distributed is appropriate to the strategy the company competes for business. In order to give the discussion a sound direction and a groundwork, the discussion has been built so that it analyses the role, relevance and intricacies of distribution management in the restaurant industry. Furthermore, the discussion will also give special consideration to the components of distribution management (in the context of the selected industry) and the developing trends that are influencing distribution management (Akkerman, Farahani & Grunow, 2010). The restaurant industry has been chosen for the purpose of this discussion because organizations functioning in the restaurant industry come into contact with a vast array of value chain members and stakeholders. As a result, it is proposed that the selection of the restaurant industry will allow (and facilitate) the development of a holistic analysis of distribution management challenges, practices and developments.

Discussion

Restaurants that take reservations have traditionally relied on telephone reservations and walk-in business. The growth of online restaurant reservations has forced restaurants to rethink the way in which they manage their distribution (Pilo, Pisano & Soma, ...