HomeAbstract of 11th-icrbmeBeyond the 4p: a Six-dimensional Criteria Framework for Distribution Channel Evaluation in Functional Beverage Markets

Beyond the 4p: a Six-dimensional Criteria Framework for Distribution Channel Evaluation in Functional Beverage Markets

  • Jun 22, 2026
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Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Research in Business, Management and Economics

Year: 2026

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Beyond the 4p: a Six-dimensional Criteria Framework for Distribution Channel Evaluation in Functional Beverage Markets

Livia Khalishta Afifah

ABSTRACT:

Distribution channel decisions for functional beverages cannot be adequately evaluated through conventional cost-and-reach frameworks. Unlike mainstream consumer products, functional beverages carry unverifiable health claims and target consumers who need contextual understanding before purchase. These characteristics that render standard distribution criteria insufficient. This study develops and validates a six-dimensional criteria framework for distribution channel evaluation in the functional beverage industry. Extending the conventional 4P marketing mix with Risk and Customer Satisfaction as standalone dimensions, the framework encompasses eighteen operationalized sub-criteria developed through systematic literature review and refined via structured expert elicitation. Validation through Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) pairwise comparisons confirmed full internal consistency across all matrices (CR ≤ 0.10). Findings reveal that Product Education, defined as the channel’s capacity to facilitate informed consumer dialogue, emerged as the most influential sub-criterion (global weight = 0.277), surpassing geographic reach, cost structure, and operational reliability. This positions functional beverage distribution as fundamentally a communication challenge rather than a purely logistical one. The framework offers brand managers a validated, structured tool for channel assessment that reflects the unique commercial dynamics of functional beverage products, and provides researchers a replicable foundation for MCDM-based distribution studies across food and beverage categories.

Keywords: AHP; Distribution Channel Evaluation; Functional Beverages; Marketing Mix; Multi-Criteria Decision Making