How to Distribute to Louisville

Louisville is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 29th most populous city in the United States.  With a 2020 population of 624,890, it is the largest city in Kentucky and the 29th largest city. Louisville is currently growing at a rate of 0.38% annually, and its population has increased by 4.61% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 597,337 in 2010. Spanning over 275 miles, Louisville has a population density of 2,372 people per square mile.

Louisville is notable for many things. The city is known as the home of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), the University of Louisville and its Cardinals, Louisville Slugger baseball bats, and three of Kentucky’s six Fortune 500 companies: Humana, Kindred Healthcare, and Yum! Brands. Muhammad Ali International Airport, Louisville’s main commercial airport, hosts UPS’s worldwide hub.

More, there is relative prosperity in the city. The average household income in Louisville is $71,647, with a poverty rate of 16.59%.

To distribute to this city, a manufacturer can engage distributors or go directly to retailers. The manufacturer can also take full control of the entire distribution chain. These methods will be discussed subsequently.

To fully understand Louisville’s product distribution, it will help to look at the areas under Louisville and examine how distribution works within them.

Distribution to Downtown Louisville

Downtown Louisville is the oldest part of the city of Louisville, whose initial development was closely tied to the Ohio River. Over the years, the city became an urban center. It is currently the largest central business district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the urban hub of the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area.

A manufacturer can get products into Downtown Louisville by going through distributors. This is outsourcing the distribution of products to distributors. It is the manufacturer’s job to produce; it is the distributor’s job to get the products into stores and retail outlets. Distributors have markets they have mapped out already. They know the right areas for certain types of products and know exactly how to penetrate these areas. This is made possible through the relationships they have forged over the years of doing business with retailers.

Thus, in getting your products to Downtown, you may find that distributors are more efficient to make it happen.

Distributing to Portland

Portland is a neighborhood and formerly independent town northwest of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It is situated along a bend of the Ohio River just below the Falls of Ohio, where the river curves to the north and then to the south, thus placing Portland at the northern tip of urban Louisville.

Portland is going through some urban developments, and this move is projected to attract more people to the area. For a manufacturer who wants to enter this market, it may help to work with established retailers in the area.

Retail associations make targeting retailers by niche and geographical locations easy. Retail associations have retailers in a particular region as members. This allows you to network and establishes direct relationships with retailers.

Though we have more general retail associations than niche retail associations, many are based on the type of products they sell. The advantages of going directly to retailers are:

1. As a manufacturer, you’re closer to the final consumers. You can easily gather data about reactions, suggestions, and opinions to improve the product.
2. You get inventory data easily and smoothly as you’re in direct touch with the retailer.
3. More, warranty and other consumer benefits are easier to claim.

Distributing to Old Louisville

Old Louisville is a historic district and neighborhood in central Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the third-largest of such districts in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian architecture. It is also unique in that most of its structures are made of brick, and the neighborhood contains the highest concentration of residential homes with stained glass windows in the U.S.

One of the biggest sources for this district is tourism. A lot of people want to experience the feel of these vintage buildings.

Any of the distribution methods discussed above will work for any part of Louisville, but it is not always about the region. Many times, it is about the products, the resources available, and the manufacturer’s goal. A manufacturer who wants to foster a strong brand following with the consumers may find it fitting to control the entire distribution chain.

Taking full control of an entire distribution chain is expensive and time-consuming, but it has many benefits. Tesla is a brand that employs this. People who use Tesla want to keep using it because they have unconsciously developed a relationship with the brand.

Things to Note When Distributing to Louisville

Large Market

Louisville is a large market – with over 600,000 residents. And as with every large market, you should expect stiff competition. You can set your brand apart by focusing on a unique selling point. This is the point that sets you apart from your competition.

Marketing

The benefit of this cannot be overstated. It is what gets your brand messages out to prospects. You should work to make your marketing well-targeted to your prospects. Being a diverse community of students, seniors, and the middle class, you may want to do more research to learn what works for each group.

Tourism

Louisville is a historical city. A lot of Victorian and antebellum buildings are located in the city. In a place like Old Louisville, these buildings are preserved. And with this, a lot of money flows into the city. You should position your brand well-enough towards this.