Internet-enabled distribution strategies

This paper investigates the effects of the Internet on the structure of the classical marketing channels. The advantages offered by the Internet have determined many companies to adopt different models of Internet-enabled distribution strategy. The choice and the implementation of these strategies will be influenced, as in the case of any other marketing channel, by the characteristics of the company, of its clients, and of the traded products. On the basis of an empirical study of 500 Internet commercial sites, the present paper identifies the models of Internet-enabled distribution strategy implemented by the Web-active companies, and then verifies four hypotheses related to the factors that influence the choice and implementation of a particular strategy.