De Groothandel is Dood. Leve de Groothandel. Ene Branchgericht Onderzoek naar de Toekomst van de Groothandel en de rol van Informatie Technologie (The Wholesaler is Dead. Long Live the Wholesaler. A Branche-orientated Investigation on the Future of the Wh

摘要

The wholesaler is in a lot of business sectors a sales channel for manufacturers to distribute their products to customers. Additional costs arise due to the extra link in the logistic chain. Because of economic developments a lot of companies aim at lower costs. Therefore the role of the wholesaler is discussed: is the wholesaler necessary as a sales channel. Developments in logistics and information technology (IT) contribute to this discussion. There are specialized logistics service companies who can take over the distribution function of a wholesaler. Also, customers can order directly from manufactures using information technology such as EDI and Videotex making the wholesaler obsolete. The main question is the role of the wholesaler in the future and the consequences of information technology for the role of the wholesaler. Are these developments indeed a threat for the wholesaler. Are these threats the same for all sectors. And if there are differences between sectors, what are the causes for these differences.