Asian Paints Distribution Strategies
Asian Paints is a leading company in the paint industry in India. While it has grown from a relatively small, decorative paint company to a large business that has a vast consumer customer base, the company's methods of distribution and marketing have only changed slightly over the years. The basic distribution and marketing strategies are still similar to the initial strategies used when Asian Paints first opened its doors.
Asian Paints used the strategy of offering a wide range of products to push competitors to the side and become the leading Indian company in decorative paint. Companies that have a larger selection available for clients or customers are more likely to retain those clients and customers than companies which are limited and do not have the color choices. By offering a wide range of products, Asian Paints has been able to broaden its customer base.
Technology is a large part of Asian Paints' distribution success. According to a distribution strategy case study of Asian Paints, the company provided automated machines that mixed paint colors at the distributors to allow customers and consumers more range in color and more options. These machines use technology to produce colors that otherwise are unavailable, resulting in a wider range of selection.
A big problem with paint companies in India was a competitive market in the large cities, where distribution was relatively easy and the risks were low. Asian Paints started by working from the rural areas, where distribution was a challenge and where the other companies had overlooked. Instead of focusing in cities and urban areas, Asian Paints focused on a national level and worked in until reaching the cities.
Expanding from India, Asian Paints started working on distributing decorative paints to emerging economies. It is a similar strategy to the initial strategy used in India, but it is now expanding to countries and locations outside of India. Rather than distribute to economies like the U.S., Asian Paints has turned its focus to customers in places like Singapore and Egypt.