How to Distribute to Denver

Denver is the capital of the U.S. state of Colorado. With a 2020 population of 734,134, it is the largest city in Colorado and the 19th largest city in the United States. Denver is currently growing at a rate of 1.22% annually, and its population has increased by 22.32% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 600,158 in 2010. Spanning over 155 miles, Denver has a population density of 4,789 people per square mile.

In 2016, Denver was named the Best Place to Live in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. More, there is relative prosperity in the city. The average household income in Denver is $93,650, with a poverty rate of 13.76%.

All these indicate that Denver is a promising environment for trade and business. A manufacturer can distribute to this city directly or indirectly. Directly distributing is when the manufacturer gets access to the retailer directly to have a supply agreement. Indirectly is when a distributor is used by the manufacturer to get products into retail stores.

To fully understand product distribution in Denver, it will help to look at distribution to the small areas that make up Denver. This will help in understanding distribution to the city as a whole.

Distribution to Central Denver

Central Denver comprises Baker, Capitol Hill, Central Business District, Cherry, Creek, Cheesman Park, City Park, Congress Park, City Park West, Civic Center, Country Club, Lincoln Park, North Capitol Hill, Speer, and Union Station. This is mostly the administrative area of the city. A lot of the city’s population is concentrated in this area.

A manufacturer can penetrate these communities with the use of distributors. This is a large area that will require some expertise. And distributors offer this.

Distributors take the stress off manufacturers. They have the resources and expertise to enter remote areas manufacturers can’t. With this, the manufacturer does not have to worry about inventory and logistics. Those become major points of concern for the distributor. And the distributor ensures that all these are catered for.

Manufacturers focus on product development while distributors focus on distribution networks. They understand well enough to know which area is most fitting for certain types of products. As an advantage, distributors forge long-term relationships with retailers. This makes it easy to introduce new products and follow up sales. With these data, they know which products and brands sell better in a particular area. Thus, they can concentrate effort and resources in the right places.

Distributing to East Denver

East Denver comprises Belcaro, Cory-Merrill, East Colfax, Hale, Hilltop, Indian Creek, Lowry, Montclair, Park Hill, Virginia Village, Washington Virginia Vale, and Windsor. These areas are mostly residential. And this makes it closer to smaller stores and retail centers.

Looking at the number of retail stores in a large area like this, it can be daunting to start visiting them individually to pitch. More, it can be hard to know which retailers sell your products in a particular geographical area. This is the benefit you get with retail associations.

Some of Denver’s retail associations are Rocky Mountain Shopping Center Association, Colorado Retail Council, and the Colorado branch of the National Retail Federation. You can network within these associations to find those fitting for your products.

The advantage a manufacturer gets with retail associations is that it is easy to network within these associations to reach actual retailers. With this, the manufacturer can pitch the products to retailers. And there is hardly anyone who knows a product better than the manufacturer. So, with this, there is a higher chance of getting the products on the shelves.

More, it is easier to keep track of inventory and always have the products on the shelves. It also makes it easier to keep track of customer reactions, opinions, and interests.

Distributing to Northwest Denver

Northwest Denver comprises Auraria, Berkeley, Chaffee Park, Highland, Jefferson Park, Regis, Sloan Lake, Sunnyside, and West Highland. Here, you have more parks and lakefronts than residential neighborhoods.

To penetrate Northwest Denver, the manufacturer can employ any of the two methods. It is important to note that the chosen distribution method depends on the type of products to be distributed. More, the resources available also determine what methods to be used.

Tesla is an example of a brand that could control its distribution system down to sales and service. This costs a lot of money, but it pays back in a lot of dividends to the company. The company gets direct feedback from customers and can use this data to improve the consumer experience. More, they can keep track of everything down to inventory and warranty. Many manufacturers don’t get to do this as things become blurry during the entire distribution chain.

Things to Note When Distributing to Denver

Large Market

A large population may not translate into a large market all the time, but it does most of the time. As much as there is a lot of potential for sales, there are competing products. Thus, it is important to have a unique selling point that will always resonate with the consumers. They must have a reason to prefer your products to others.

Marketing

A lot of manufacturers don’t do much for marketing. They somehow expect their products to be noticed. It hardly works that way.

It is important to send marketing messages to consumers on both the internet and mass media. Your uniqueness is communicated to them here. And if you focus on their needs and what they stand to benefit, you might as well have stood out in the market.