In retailing, product management is essential. For distributors, there are a lot of questions concerning product management that needs precise and detailed answers. These questions include: what product lines, how many product lines and which brands to carry, type of customer service and the availability of support service. Answers to these questions are primary product-related decisions. For a retail distributor, the product assortment should be very accurate as they are important in the successful running of the retail store. The product assessment of a retail organization is the combination of both the depth and breadth of the product with the main features as: the number or length of the product lines, breadth, depth or number of product varieties within a product line and consistency.  Apart from determining the number of product lines to carry, the retail distributor must check the physical space and structure of the shop, the “perishability” of the items retailed, expected turnover rates for each line, the customer’s needs and expectations.

Retail service distributors must know whether they want to provide full or minimal service outlets and needs to make essential choices that involve sales support like customer delivery and after sales customer care. These services could include provision of credit, delivery services, advisory services, exchange or return services, limited-scale trial, product demonstration, special orders and customer loyalty programs. It is very to make these decisions while taking cognisance of the customer’s willingness to make payment for these services to be rendered to them. Customer service is very important as the retail distribution stores who create appropriate facilities for good customer service makes more benefit than the retail organizations that do not do so. With the provision of customer service, a stronger relationship is ensured and when these customers are satisfied with the service rendered, they make referrals and sometimes become willing marketers or advertisers for these retail distribution stores.

Delaware as a state has a populated estimate of over 9 hundred thousand people.  Delaware generates their revenue through service industries just like surrounding states. Their retail distributors deal in agricultural products especially broilers, which are young chickens, soybeans, corn for grain, greenhouse and nursery products and dairy products. Broilers serve as the greatest contributors of Delaware’s farm income while crops are just a minor portion of the Delaware economy. Other crop products that are grown include barley, wheat, potatoes, peas and apples. All these crops are equally distributed by retail stores in Delaware. Chemicals are the essential primary products that Delaware manufactures. This includes drugs, industrial chemicals, plastics and other synthetics. So retail distributors in this state also deal in chemical products helping to channel them to the end users. The food processing industry in the state ranks second. This industry deals in gelatin, pudding, desserts, canneries, baked goods, fish and poultry products and soft drinks. Magnesium then, sand and gravel is the primary mineral product in this state. So retail distributors deal in any of these products in making ends meet and making sure the end users are satisfied with the distribution of these products.