How to Distribute to Portland

Portland is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. With a 2020 population of 664,103, it is the largest city in Oregon and the United States’ 25th largest city. Portland is currently growing at a rate of 0.83% annually, and its population has increased by 13.76% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 583,776 in 2010. Spanning over 145 miles, Portland has a population density of 4,978 people per square mile.

Portland is considerably a prosperous city. The average household income in Portland is $90,382, with a poverty rate of 14.90%. Though the increasing scourge of crime and homelessness has become an issue for the city officials.

Notwithstanding, with a population of about 700,000 and a steady growth rate, there is a lot of potential for business and sales in the city. A manufacturer can distribute products to Portland directly to the stores or through a distributor.

To fully understand how to distribute to Portland, it will help to look at the areas within the city. This will help to understand how distribution works in the entire city.

Distributing to The Pearl District

The Pearl District is an area of Portland, Oregon, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry, and railroad classification yards and now noted for its art galleries, upscale businesses, and residences. The area has been undergoing significant urban renewal since the mid-1980s when it was reclassified as mixed-use from industrial, including the arrival of artists, the removal of a viaduct, and construction of the Portland Streetcar.

The Pearl District has a population of over 6000 residents. This may not seem like much, but it is where a lot of offices are concentrated. It is not like Northwest, where there is a population density of retail stores and residential apartments.

A manufacturer looking at expanding into Portland as a whole or an area can work with distributors. They have worked the area for a lot of brands and understand the distribution network.

Distributors take the stress off the neck of the manufacturer. While the manufacturer focuses on product development and manufacturing, the distributor focuses on getting the products into retail stores and shopping centers. The distributor handles inventory tracking and logistics. She also works to increase the distribution area for the product. Thankfully, due to the relationships developed with retailers, distributors find it easy to introduce new products to the stores.

Distributing to Northwest District, Portland

The Northwest District is a densely populated retail and residential neighborhood in the northwest section of Portland, Oregon. Craftsman-style and Old Portland-style houses are packed tightly together with grand old apartment buildings and sleek new condominiums, within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and shops.

Northwest District has always been a popular destination for visitors looking for trendy shops, restaurants, and nightlife along NW 21st and NW 23rd Streets.

To get products into this area, it may help to connect with retailers directly. You can do this by networking within retail associations. Retail associations have retailers as members. The advantage of these associations is that they are mostly geographically-based. This means that you can do this easily if you want to sell your products specifically in Portland.

Moreover, distributing to retailers means that there are fewer persons in the distribution chain. As a result, you have better pricing, easier collection of useful data, and proximity to the final consumer.

Some of the retail associations in the Northwest district and Portland generally include Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association, Oregon Neighborhood Store Association (ONSA), Portland Retail Druggist Association, and the Oregon branch of the National Retail Federation.

Distributing to Goose Hollow

Goose Hollow shares the best attributes of both a city’s downtown district and an established historic residential neighborhood. It’s one of Portland’s original neighborhoods.

In 2007, Goose Hollow was featured in a “Best Places to Retire” article on CNNMoney.com.  Although statistically speaking, this area is full of people aged 20-40, and many singletons and renters enjoy this community as well.

In summary, Goose Hollow is a charming neighborhood with a delightful mix of old and new homes and community spaces.

To get products into this neighborhood, any of the distribution methods can be employed. The manufacturer can also decide to oversee every aspect of the distribution chain down to retail. Some manufacturers do this, and it has proven very successful. However, this requires a lot of resources.

This total control of the distribution line has a lot of benefits. One of them is that the manufacturer can directly get feedback from consumers and see what to improve on. More, it fosters brand relationships with consumers. Another benefit is that the manufacturer can ensure that the consumer is getting the best experience even before opening the product.

Things to Note When Distributing to Portland

Large Market

Portland has a large population – about 700,000. Consequently, a lot of brands are competing for attention over here. It will help to focus on a unique selling point and attract the market with that. The unique selling point should go beyond just being a feature on your product; it should be the underlying principle on which you build your product. For instance, cutting-edge technology and exquisiteness are Apple’s unique selling point.

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.