a.Direct interaction with customers: The retailer acts as the final link between the organisation and its customer. The retailer knows his customer better than anyone. He even suggests the customer what to purchase and allows him credit facilities to encourage frequent buying behaviour in the customer.

b.Small purchases: The customer purchases goods in small lots from the retail stores. So there are frequent visits to the retail store by the customer.

c.Instrument of marketing communication: via which information about the product is disseminated to the needy customers

Depending upon the increase or decrease in price rates, buyers may respond accordingly. Some buyers may assume that quality of the product may have reduced to to reduction in price or that the company may not be selling the product as per expectations. The other assumption that buyers may make is that prices may go down in the future and so may delay purchase. On the other hand increased price may lead to a decrease in demand as the product may be more costly for the consumers who may switch to another seller offering similar products at lower prices.

In the light of competition, it may be seen that competitors may initiate price changes. If the cutting off on prices does not affect the company, then the current pricing strategy itself can be continued to maintain the profitability of the company. However if the price change on one firm is affecting the other, then it can:

a.reduce the product price at par with competitors’ price or below competitors’ price

or

b. Provide added advantage to the existing product like better quality, or ‘a buy one get one free’ offer.

or

c.Provide better quality of the product at a higher price thereby not being at par with the competitors.

a.Understanding the customer profile : the tastes,preferences, habits of the customers may differ from person to person.

b.Determining the objective as to who would be the target market, whether the company wants to go for cost minimisation or not etc.

c.Type of channel members :Who all would be involved? Wholesalers, retailers?

d.The criteria on which the channel members would be evaluated and selected.

e.How many intermediaries will be involved in the overall distribution?

These days channel members are being accepted by companies as their partners. The intermediaries are even being asked to integrate their business with the companies which results in lesser costs, greater efficiency and improved customer service. Corporates like Airtel are adopting PRM (Partner relationship management) software to give that added advantage to their supply chain. They organise rewards and recognition programs for their channel partners and also organise proper channels though which partners can vent any of their grievances relating to payments, violation of codes etc.

The SCPCA method can be used to evaluate channel members.

a) Sales (S): How much sales each channel member can give within a cetain time frame

b) Cost(C): How much cost would be incurred for each channel?

c) Profitability(P): Which channel can give better profitability to the company?

d) Control(C): Whether company can have better control over its channel members or not.

e) Adaptability (A): Whether the channel alternatives are flexible enough to any changes or not. The channel meeting the objectives of the company is selected

Ratio of rates of working of A and B =2:1. So, ratio of times taken =1:2

Therefore, A's 1 day's work=1/9 

B's 1 day's work=1/18 

(A+B)'s 1 day's work= 1/9 + 1/18 = 1/6

so, A and B together can finish the work in 6 days

(A+B)'s 1 day's work=1/20 

C's 1 day work=1/60 

(A+B+C)'s 1 day's work= 1/20 + 1/60 = 1/15

Also A's 1 day's work =(B+C)'s 1 day's work 

Therefore,  we get: 2 x (A's 1 day 's work)=1/15 

=>A's 1 day's work=1/30 

Therefore, B's 1 day's work= 1/20 - 1/30 = 1/60

So, B alone could do the work in 60 days.