Investigating the Effects of Base and Kinder and Gentler Push Promotion Strategies on Manufacturer Integration and Distribution Channel Members

The integration of food companies with their distribution channel members improves the financial and market performance of both parties in a competitive environment. Push promotion strategies are an effective tool for integrating manufacturers with distribution channel members. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of basic and Kinder and Gentler push promotion strategies on the integration of producer and distribution channel members under the pragmatism paradigm and with a mixed approach. For this purpose, after studying the research literature and semi-structured interviews with 12 academic and executive experts, the components and indicators for measuring basic and Kinder and Gentler push promotion strategies were determined. Then, research questionnaires with 5 Likert scales were designed and distributed among 311 managers and experts of companies operating in the food industry, the number of which was estimated by GPower software. The collected data were analyzed to test the hypotheses and the model using Smart PLS3 software. The results confirmed the research hypotheses and showed that active companies in the food industry can move towards integration with their distributors through push-based promotion strategies and improve the knowledge and technology of the food industry, reduce inventory and Warehousing costs, improve market performance and service levels.