Selection of marketing channels for the distribution of industrial enterprises' innovative products

The aim of the article. The aim of the study is to determine the stages by which it is possible to select among existing marketing channels of the enterprise ones that would be best to use in innovative products' distribution. The results of the analysis. The author proposes stages by following which it is possible to choose marketing channels for the innovative products' distribution at industrial enterprises. At the first stage of marketing channels' selection diagnostics of marketing distribution policy actual state is held. It allows to identify shortcomings in the distribution system and to identify areas of its improvement in order to bring the finished products to customers in the best conditions. At the second stage the assessment of enterprise's existing marketing channels is provided. The assessment helps to define marketing channels of the enterprise and the type of innovative products that can be distributed via them. The third stage provides the selection of the most relevant marketing channels among existing channels at the enterprise. Those channels are expected to spread innovative products. The selection is based on qualitative assessment. A qualitative assessment of the marketing channel of innovative products is made by following criterias: - target market of innovative product and market on which channel operates; - compliance of innovative product to the range of products which are distributed via the channel; - actions for advance of an innovative product; - willingness of participants in channel to distribute innovative product; - level of expenses for distribution of innovative product via the channel; - risk at distribution of innovative products in the channel. The last, fourth stage involves selection of management strategies for marketing channels of innovative product. Conclusions and directions of further researches. Thus, the proposed sequence of stages of innovative products' marketing channels choice allows to evaluate existing channels of enterprise and to choose those of them which are most relevant to the specific of enterprise's innovation. Also it allows to identify appropriate strategic marketing activities with choosen marketing channels. These results identify area for further researches which is development of theoretical and methodological approaches to evaluation the effectiveness of innovative products' distribution via selected marketing channels.