Distribution Channel Review — Grove Blend Park

What this engagement delivers

A clear view of your channel mix — built on contribution, not assumption

Most companies that sell through more than one route have a reasonable sense of which channel generates the most revenue. Fewer have a clear view of what each channel is actually contributing once margin, administrative load, conflict between routes, and the cost of maintaining each relationship are taken into account.

The Distribution Channel Review examines direct, wholesale, platform and agent routes against four dimensions — margin, volume, control and administrative load — and then looks at how the channels interact with each other. Where routes compete for the same customers, that conflict is assessed and the cost of it quantified where the data allows.

What you leave with

A channel-by-channel contribution view, accounting for margin, volume, control and administrative load
An assessment of conflict where routes compete for the same customers, with the cost of that conflict examined
A proposed channel structure with transition considerations noted — what changing the mix would require in practice

The situation this is built for

When the channel mix reflects history rather than strategy

Channels added, not chosen

Each route was added because an opportunity appeared — a distributor approached you, a platform looked relevant, a wholesale relationship developed organically. The mix reflects what was available, not what was decided.

Routes competing for the same customers

Two or more channels are reaching the same buyer segment, which creates friction in relationships, price inconsistencies, and uncertainty among partners about how seriously they are prioritised.

No clear picture of what each channel costs

Revenue from each channel is visible, but the full picture — margin after returns and discounts, time spent managing partner relationships, the operational load of different fulfilment models — is not consolidated anywhere.

How this engagement works

A structured examination of each route, then the mix as a whole

The review works with both your commercial function and your logistics or operations function, because the true cost of a channel cannot be assessed from one side only. A wholesale route that looks straightforward from a sales perspective may carry significant complexity in fulfilment, returns handling, or account management that does not appear in the margin calculation.

Each channel is examined individually first: what it contributes in margin and volume, what degree of control it allows over pricing, presentation and customer relationship, and what it requires in administrative time and process from your team. These are then brought together to show the mix as a whole — including where channels are in conflict with each other.

The proposed structure at the end is not necessarily a reduction in the number of channels — sometimes the finding is that the current mix is reasonable, but the management of it needs adjustment. In other cases the evidence suggests consolidation or a change in emphasis. Either conclusion is documented with the reasoning behind it.

Channel-by-channel assessment

Each route examined individually across margin, volume, control and administrative load — the four dimensions that together determine what a channel is genuinely worth.

Conflict mapping

Where channels overlap in the customers they serve, the degree of conflict is assessed and the cost of managing it — or the cost of not managing it — is considered.

Proposed structure

A recommended channel configuration, based on the evidence from the review rather than a generic framework, with the reasoning behind it stated clearly.

Transition considerations

What changing the mix would involve in practice — partner relationships, contractual implications, operational changes, and the time realistically required.

Working together

Five weeks across commercial and logistics functions

01

Week one — orientation and data

Initial sessions with commercial and logistics functions separately to understand the current channel mix, the history of how it developed, and the data available for analysis. Channel definitions and scope confirmed.

02

Weeks two and three — channel analysis

Each channel examined individually. Margin, volume, control and administrative load assessed per route. An interim note on preliminary findings shared at the end of week three.

03

Week four — conflict and mix assessment

The channels are reviewed as a whole. Overlaps and conflicts are mapped. The proposed structure is developed from the findings rather than from a predetermined framework.

04

Week five — report and delivery

Written report completed and walked through with both functions together. Questions addressed and, where useful, transition sequencing discussed in the delivery session.

What to expect during the work

Weekly contact points — both functions kept in view throughout, not only at the start and end
Interim note at week three so the direction of findings is visible before the final report
Data requests are limited to what the analysis actually requires — not a general audit of your systems
Transition considerations are practical — based on your actual partner relationships, not generic advice

Investment

Transparent pricing for a defined scope

Distribution Channel Review

¥39,000 JPY

Five-week engagement · Fixed fee

Channel-by-channel contribution view across all active routes
Conflict assessment where routes overlap in customer segments
Proposed channel structure with evidence-based reasoning
Transition considerations specific to your partner relationships
Joint delivery session with commercial and logistics functions

The fee is confirmed in writing before work begins. No additions to scope or cost without prior agreement.

What the investment covers

Channel decisions made without a clear picture of contribution tend to persist longer than they should. The cost is diffuse — margin that could be higher, relationships with partners who receive inconsistent signals, operational load that is not attributed to the channel creating it.

The review produces a document that makes those costs visible and gives you a basis for decision-making that the current situation does not provide. Whether the result is a change in structure or a confirmation that the existing mix is sound, the finding is documented with the reasoning behind it.

The transition section is included because a proposed structure is only useful if the path toward it is realistic. What it would take to reach a different channel mix — in time, in partner conversations, in operational change — is part of the deliverable, not a separate exercise.

How the work is conducted

Four dimensions, examined consistently across every channel

Margin

Revenue net of discounts, returns, platform fees and the cost of goods sold through each route — not gross revenue, which can obscure meaningful differences between channels.

Volume

Units or revenue at current scale, with attention to trajectory — whether volume through each channel is growing, stable or declining, and over what period.

Control

The degree to which pricing, presentation, customer communication and brand are maintained through each route — and where that control has been ceded and what the effect has been.

Admin load

The time and process required from your team to maintain each channel — partner communications, reporting obligations, issue resolution, and fulfilment complexity.

Expected timeline and scope

5

Weeks duration

2

Functions involved

1

Written report delivered

Our commitment

What you can rely on from the outset

The scope, fee and deliverables are confirmed in writing before work begins. The data that will be needed from each function is agreed at the start so there are no unexpected requests mid-engagement.

If the initial conversation suggests the review would not produce useful findings — because the channel mix is straightforward, or the question is better addressed in another way — the adviser will say so directly, at no cost to you. The initial discussion is to establish whether the work would be genuinely useful.

The proposed structure in the report reflects what the analysis shows. If the evidence suggests that a channel that generates significant revenue is not worth maintaining at its current scale — because of what it costs in margin, control or administrative load — that will be in the report, with the reasoning behind it.

What is fixed from the start

Fee agreed in writing before work commences
Data requirements confirmed at the start — no unexpected requests during the work
No scope changes without prior written agreement
Initial consultation at no cost and no obligation
Proposed structure reflects the evidence, not a preferred outcome

Getting started

A straightforward path from here

01

Send a message

Describe your current channel mix briefly — how many routes, roughly how long each has been in place, and what the question is that prompted the review.

02

Initial conversation

A short exchange to understand the business, the channels in scope, and the data that would be available to work with.

03

Scope confirmed

A written scope document covering the channels to be reviewed, data requirements, the functions involved, deliverables, timeline and fee.

04

Work begins

Initial sessions scheduled with both functions. Data shared. The five-week review starts on a date that works for the people involved.

Distribution Channel Review

If the channel mix has grown without a deliberate structure, it is worth understanding what it is actually producing

The review provides a factual basis for decisions about which channels to invest in and which to reconsider — built from the numbers and the realities of your own situation, not from a generic framework. The first conversation is without cost or obligation.

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