BMC – Distribution Channels – Innovate Engineer

✅ Why this step connects your product to real users

Even the best solution won’t work if no one knows about it—or can access it.

The Channels section of the Business Model Canvas defines how you reach customers with your value proposition. This includes marketing, sales, distribution, and delivery channels. Choosing the right channels helps you build awareness, convert interest into action, and ensure a seamless customer experience from first touch to follow-through.

📘 What you’ll define

How customers first discover your product or service
How they evaluate, compare, and buy it
Where and how delivery or usage happens
Online, offline, direct, or indirect channel strategies
Any platform, partner, or retail integrations required

🛠️ Tools and methods

✅ Channels Checklist

Identify discovery channels (ads, SEO, social, trade shows)

Define purchase channels (online store, B2B sales, resellers)

Clarify delivery channels (physical shipping, digital download, install)

Ensure support channels align with relationship model

Map how channels change across the customer journey (awareness → purchase → retention)

Example Channels Table

Channel Stage	Example Channel	Purpose	Notes
Awareness	LinkedIn ads, trade media	Reach industry decision-makers	Use case-driven messaging
Evaluation	Landing page + product demo	Let users explore value	Self-guided with optional booking
Purchase	Shopify D2C + distributor	Mixed online + wholesale sales	Need to manage margin differences
Delivery	Shipped product w/ QR setup	Seamless onboarding	Aligns with support and UX goals

Consider both owned and third-party channels
Match channel strategy to customer habits and expectations

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

Relying on just one channel—diversify where possible
Misaligning channel with product (e.g. high-touch B2B via automated funnel)
Skipping physical delivery complexity—especially for hardware
Assuming awareness = success—follow-through matters too

💡 From early-stage teams

“We got great traction from Reddit—but no one converted. Once we switched to industry webinars, quality leads tripled.”
– Marketing Lead, Industrial Sensor Platform

💡 Don’t just ask how people find you—ask how they want to buy and use you.

🔗 Helpful links & resources

Channel Mapping Tool
Download: Awareness–Delivery Journey Map
Article: How to Choose Channels That Actually Work for Your Market
Follow-on: Customer Relationships

✍️ Quick self-check

Have we clearly mapped each phase of the user journey to a channel?

Do our channels reflect how our target users actually find and use solutions?

Are delivery and support channels well integrated?

Can our current team and tools support these channels at scale?

🎨 Visual concept (optional)

Illustration: A horizontal journey map from “Awareness” to “Delivery”, with icons for each channel (social ad, landing page, e-comm store, unboxing experience). Arrows show the flow with tags like “Try demo”, “Buy now”, “Track order”.

Visual shows how effective channels deliver the right message, in the right place, at the right time—to the right user.