The Influence of the Digitalisation of the Distribution Channel in the Process of Bypassing Wholesalers: The Case of a Distribution Triad

Résumé 0

• ObjectivesThe wholesaler, a traditional player in distribution, has been going through a new phase in its evolution over the last twenty years. Driven by the digitalisation of activities, upstream and downstream players are trying to bypass it and new players such as commercial platforms are appearing. In order to understand this phenomenon, this research analyses how the wholesaler manages to keep a part of the flows between the actors of the distribution channel. • MethodA qualitative analysis by individual interviews within the building materials sector highlights the appropriation of informational flows by manufacturers leading to the phenomenon of partial disintermediation which affects the relationships of wholesalers with the other actors of the channel. • Results The latter nevertheless retain responsibility for the most costly and risky flows, i.e. physical and financial flows. This allows them to retain enough added value within the distribution channel to survive. • Managerial and societal implicationsAlthough they were promised to decline or even disappear, it is clear that in certain sectors, wholesalers have been able to either resist or evolve. These results make it possible to propose levers for wholesalers to adapt to this new environment. • OriginalityBecause of the terrain studied, which is original in two respects, it is possible to see that platforms have not changed all distribution channels in depth.