How to Distribute to Dallas

Dallas is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and seat of Dallas County, with portions extending into Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties. With a 2020 population of 1,382,270, it is the 3rd largest city in Texas (after Houston and San Antonio) and the 9th largest city in the United States. Dallas is currently growing at a rate of 1.36% annually, and its population has increased by 15.40% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 1,197,820 in 2010. Spanning over 384 miles, Dallas has a population density of 4,069 people per square mile.

Dallas is a metropolitan city, and as expected, there is a considerably high average income and a considerably high poverty rate. The average household income in Dallas is $82,630, with a poverty rate of 20.53%. What this means is that there is a market for both upscale and normal commodities.

Penetrating the metropolitan city of Dallas requires having an effective strategy. Some parts of the city are upscale, while some others like South Dallas are ghetto. So, except you sell commodities like food items that everyone buys, you need to be very strategic.

You could either enter the market directly or use distributors. To fully understand product distribution in Dallas, it will help to look at distribution in the areas in Dallas.

Distributing Products to Downtown Dallas

Downtown Dallas is the central business district of Dallas, Texas, USA, located in the city’s geographic center. Downtown Dallas is viewed as an interconnected grouping of dense and urban center city districts, that while unique in their own right, also share strong urban linkages and collectively participate in their role as Downtown Dallas.

Getting your products into Downtown Dallas may require some work. It is not a very populated area – by 2017 population estimates, it has about 11,000 people. However, it may be a big market for some niche products.

Distributors will go a long way in helping to establish a new product in Downtown Dallas. They know the market – they understand customer behavior, eccentricities, peculiarities, differences, and how products move in the area. Moreover, they understand the distribution network. This means they know how to get products to the stores and shelves faster.

You can also get direct access to retailers by connecting with them via their procurement department – big stores have this, or you can use online platforms manufacturers use to connect with retailers.

An easy way is to network within retailers’ associations. Within these associations, you can get to meet retailers individually and pitch your products.

Distributing Products to East Dallas

East Dallas, also referred to by the East Dallas Chamber of Commerce as the Lake & Garden District, is an expansive area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas (United States), that border nearby suburban cities to the east such as Garland, Mesquite, and Balch Springs, Texas.

Due to East Dallas stretching across a large section of the city, the locations of neighborhoods are generally categorized into smaller sub-areas.

By 2016 estimates, the population of East Dallas is about 200,000. This means that the area, apart from being expansive, is highly populated. And this is good news for sales. The number means that millions of dollars go down in sales daily in the area.

To enter the East Dallas market, you can either go the direct or indirect way. You can either connect with retailers online or physically. Online, there are several platforms where manufacturers connect with retailers. When you connect via the platforms, you get to discuss directly, which could go a long way in forging a lot of distribution partnerships and deals.

Physically, you can go via retail associations. There, you will find most, if not all, of the retailers in that particular area. You can connect to pitch to each retailer individually. The benefit of this method is that no one can describe your product better than you. More, the connection and the relationship you will forge with the retailer will be strong. This gives you real-time data on inventory and other essential things.

Distributing to North Dallas

North Dallas is an area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas (United States). The phrase “North Dallas” is also sometimes used to include any suburb or suburb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority of North Dallas is located in Dallas County, while a small portion is located in Collin and Denton Counties.

Entering an area of numerous communities like North Dallas will require a well mapped-out strategy. As always, you approach it directly, or you can use distributors. This, of course, is dependent on the type of products you sell.

You can also use RangeMe to get the attention of retail buyers in the area. However, this may be to a manufacturer’s disadvantage if she’s new. Moreover, it is not as effective as a personal meeting or pitch.

What to Note When Distributing to Dallas

Marketing

Dallas is large, and it is a big market for a wide range of products. However, marketing is vital. It determines 80% of the success of a particular product or brand. You should go to the extent of targeting your marketing to your prospect and sending marketing messages that will appeal to them.

Diverse Community

Not all products will sell in all the areas of Dallas. You must understand each community well enough to sell to it. This is the benefit you get with distributors, especially if you are new to the area. They know how to get your products to the shelves.