The channel acts like a bridge to connect the producer and users whether located in the same community

or in different
countries. The channel facilitates the transaction and the physical exchange. A marketing channel is described as the
set of people, organizations, and activities that work together to transfer goods (products and services) from
the point of origin to the point of consumption. The primary purpose of a marketing channel is to create a
connection between the organization that creates a product or service and prospective customers who may
want to purchase it.
1. Direct selling, where products are marketed and sold directly to consumers without a fixed
retail location
2. Selling through intermediaries, where products are manufactured at the point of origin and
sold to customers by downstream intermediaries such as agents, brokers, wholesalers and
retail stores
Businesses that engage in digital marketing campaigns are executing a special type of direct selling campaign
that may leverage many different types of channels to effectively market to prospects, nurture them through the
sales funnel and drive sales growth and revenue target attainment.
Apple’s direct distribution channel includes their physical stores and their online
store. Apple physical stores allows them to really control their brand image and
customer perception of them. All their stores worldwide have the same clean white
design with a high employee to customer ratio. This creates a really strong brand
image in consumers’ minds as they are seeing the same design everywhere they go.
They also often open their stores in high traffic locations to get as much exposure as
possible. Apple also sells directly through their website. Their website can be
access from all parts of the world and offer a huge range of languages.

However, even though Apple puts a lot of effort into their physical stores, a large
part of their sales and revenue comes from indirect distribution channels. In 2018,
Apple reported that 29% of their net sales came from direct channels and 71% came
from indirect channels. Consumers can buy Apple products from third-party sellers
and carrier providers. This includes stores like BestBuy, Walmart, and Target as
they are easily accessible and might offer discounts. Apple creates a good brand
image through their physical stores and sells their product through third-party
companies.
That balance is rapidly shifting. Nike’s sales straight to shoppers, which have
been rising for years, accelerated in the past year as the firm’s overall business
rebounded from the pandemic. In the company’s 2021 fiscal year, ended May 31,
direct sales rose to approximately 39% of Nike brand sales (pdf), while wholesale
accounted for about 61%. (These figures exclude sales of products from
subsidiary brands such as Converse.)