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Marketing Theory
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Understanding the `new' distribution reality through `old' concepts: a renaissance for transvection and sorting

Kajsa Hulthén

Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, kajsa.hulthen{at}chalmers.se

Lars-Erik Gadde

Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, largad{at}chalmers.se

Technical developments in manufacturing and increasingly efficient systems for physical distribution and information exchange have made new distribution configurations available. The main feature of the new configurations is the opportunity to provide end users with customized solutions. The aim of this article is to analyse the characteristics and implications of the evolving distribution arrangements by comparing the features of these arrangements with those of `traditional channels'. For this analysis we use two concepts developed by Wroe Alderson half a century ago: sorting and transvection. The article explores the features of a transvection and the role of sorting in each of the two channel contexts. We conclude that the transvection concept is particularly well-suited for understanding the characteristics and effects of the evolving distribution arrangements. We also explain how sorting is fundamental to both types of channels, although its role is different in the two settings.

Key Words: channel • distribution • network • sorting • transvection

Marketing Theory, Vol. 7, No. 2, 184-207 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1470593107076866
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