Domestic sourcing is the activity of contracting for goods or services that are delivered or manufactured within the buyer's home country's borders.
Domestic sources are usually closer to the distributor or retailer than 'imported sources'. Sources like raw materials, services or products can be delivered in shorter periods of time compared to foreign sources. After sales, exchange or refunds of faulty products will benefit as well; as it is always easier to communicate with local business rather than international cooperations. Further, there is also quicker reaction to emergency situations or faster decision making to uncertainties in the market.
Shorter time for transportation could ensure that products such as food and drinks stay fresh. It is statistically proven that domestic sourcing increases consumer confidence; according to a report by IGD, 57% of consumer who consider buying local food because it is fresher. [1] It may also influence a consumer's decision when it comes to multiple options; with a domestic sourcing strategy, selling local products can help to gain support from consumers who are concerned about the origin of the product that they are buying for political, ethical, or environmental reasons. [1] It is also persuasive to tell consumers that local products are quality assured; buying with confidence is a very important aspect for retailers to gain trust from consumers, subsequently increasing brand awareness and loyalty. [2]
Business or retailers who have strong relationships with local suppliers do not have to go through a long supply chain which will help to reduce the cost of sales, resulting in attracting more consumers with a lower selling price. Less transportation between the supplier and retailer may also reduce the selling price as transportation costs are cut.
Increases in domestic sourcing rather than international sourcing will increase the job opportunities for locals. If all local business supports domestic sourcing, and the demand for domestic sourcing will increase, more job opportunities is then created to meet the new demands.
According to IGD report, over 54% of consumers buy local food as they feel obliged to support local producers and farmers in 2006. [1] An increase in domestic sourcing for the labour force would benefit the economy of the state or country by increasing the circular flow of income; it is estimated that every £10 spent on local product is worth a £25 increase in the circular flow of income of the local economy. [3] When there is an increase in demand for domestic sourcing, local suppliers have to hire more people to meet the boost in the demand, these new workforces will spend more money in the local economy which will thereafter produce a positive multiplier effect. Further, local business tend to give more wages than most corporate chains, which means that employees will receive more disposable income. [4] [5]
There are many local business selling unique products or services such as handcrafting or tailored products that nowhere else can offer; supporting domestic sourcing could prevent large corporate chains taking over the high street, preventing small business from being eliminated. Domestic sourcing also encourages more entrepreneurs to start small businesses in local markets.
Firms that support domestic sourcing or manufacturing could enjoy the benefit of having the same time zone with the supplier, which means quicker respond from supplier for any enquiry or questions, sometimes a couple of minutes of delay in solving problems could cost millions for the business, it is always good to be easy to communicate supply.
I'm backing Britain is one of the most famous Buy British campaigns, dating back to the late 1960s; it was triggered by five secretaries who volunteered to work an extra half an hour a day to show their contribution to the economy. With the approval from the government, as well as support from the mainstream media, it became a patriotic campaign in an attempt to boost the economy at that time. However, a few months later, with no sign of any boom in the economy; enthusiasm soon died down in the country, yet it still remains an iconic example of 'Buy British' campaigning. [6] [7]
John lewis launched a Buy British campaign in 2013, [8] with £72 million more business with UK supplier, there is also significant growth in John lewis's Uk supplier from 132 to 207 firms in 2012 to 2013. [9] The campaign encourage and brings back more British manufactured business.
Buy West Eat Best is a campaign that was developed by the Department of Agriculture and Food (Western Australia) to promote the sale of West Australian grown food produce. [10]
Commencing in May 2008, [11] all retailers in the state were invited to join the campaign, with Woolworths and Coles supporting the initiative. [10]
Walmart's Buy American campaign [12] plan to create 100,000 jobs and $50 billion sourcing in 10 years to support domestic sourcing in American, not only it help to boost the US economy as well as building and improving Walmart's public images and brand awareness. Made in American could also reduce the transportation and inventory cost for Walmart, hence a lower sell price could benefit consumer at same time. [13]
I make America is launched by Association of Equipment Manufacturers to support Domestic manufacturing in US as well as to promote US exports. [14]
Domestic sourcing campaign may trigger trade war globally. When one country starts to encourage their citizens to buy domestic goods, there are usually resistances from other countries. As result of that, poorer countries with significant disadvantage may be forced to add levy against a certain country. The most recent example of trade war happened in 2013 when EU claimed that China is selling solar panels below the average cost which resulted in lesser demand for solar panels made in Europe, which then led to trade war between China and EU. [15]
Certain domestic goods can be very expensive compared to other countries, so business that attempt to sell locally can find sales hurting if demand for such products are low.
Export firms who chose to use more expensive domestic resources may lose their competitiveness in the global market due to higher cost of production, oversea demand will shrink eventually and with a consequence of a negative balance of trade and affect national GDP (Consumption + Investment + Government spending + (Export – Import)) [16]
Fair trade is a term for an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and environmental standards. The movement focuses in particular on commodities, or products that are typically exported from developing countries to developed countries but is also used in domestic markets, most notably for handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, wine, sugar, fruit, flowers and gold.
A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limited in the range of merchandise than a hypermarket or big-box market. In everyday United States usage, however, "grocery store" is often used to mean "supermarket".
A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and policy that taxes foreign products to encourage or safeguard domestic industry. Protective tariffs are among the most widely used instruments of protectionism, along with import quotas and export quotas and other non-tariff barriers to trade.
Consumer electronics or home electronics are electronic equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. These products are usually referred to as black goods due to many products being housed in black or dark casings. This term is used to distinguish them from "white goods" which are meant for housekeeping tasks, such as washing machines and refrigerators, although nowadays, these would be considered black goods, some of these being connected to the Internet. In British English, they are often called brown goods by producers and sellers. In the 2010s, this distinction is absent in large big box consumer electronics stores, which sell entertainment, communication and home office devices, light fixtures and appliances, including the bathroom type.
In microeconomics, management and international political economy, vertical integration is an arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is integrated and owned by that company. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or (market-specific) service, and the products combine to satisfy a common need. It contrasts with horizontal integration, wherein a company produces several items that are related to one another. Vertical integration has also described management styles that bring large portions of the supply chain not only under a common ownership but also into one corporation.
A grocery store (AE), grocery shop (BE) or simply grocery is a foodservice retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, and is not used to refer to other types of stores that sell groceries. In the UK, shops that sell food are distinguished as grocers or grocery shops
Local purchasing is a preference to buy locally produced goods and services rather than those produced farther away. It is very often abbreviated as a positive goal, "buy local" or "buy locally', that parallels the phrase "think globally, act locally", common in green politics.
Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) is an inventory management practice in which a supplier of goods, usually the manufacturer, is responsible for optimizing the inventory held by a distributor.
Drop shipping is a form of retail business in which the seller accepts customer orders without keeping stock on hand. Instead, in a form of supply chain management, the seller transfers the orders and their shipment details either to the manufacturer, a wholesaler, another retailer, or a fulfillment house, which then ships the goods directly to the customer.
Business-to-business is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when:
A Made in USA mark is a country of origin label affixed to American-made products that indicates the product is "all or virtually all" domestically produced, manufactured and assembled in the United States of America. The label is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Green brands are those brands that consumers associate with environmental conservation and sustainable business practices.
An importer is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. Import is part of the International Trade which involves buying and receiving of goods or services produced in another country. The seller of such goods and services is called an exporter, while the foreign buyer is known as an importer.
The availability and uptake of green electricity in the United Kingdom has increased in the 21st century. There are a number of suppliers offering green electricity in the United Kingdom. In theory these types of tariffs help to lower carbon dioxide emissions by increasing consumer demand for green electricity and encouraging more renewable energy plant to be built. Since Ofgem's 2014 regulations there are now set criteria defining what can be classified as a green source product. As well as holding sufficient guarantee of origin certificates to cover the electricity sold to consumers, suppliers are also required to show additionality by contributing to wider environmental and low carbon funds.
A marketing channel consists of the people, organizations, and activities necessary to transfer the ownership of goods from the point of production to the point of consumption. It is the way products get to the end-user, the consumer; and is also known as a distribution channel. A marketing channel is a useful tool for management, and is crucial to creating an effective and well-planned marketing strategy.
Retailing in India is one of the pillars of its economy and accounts for about 10 percent of its GDP. The Indian retail market is estimated to be worth $1.3 trillion as of 2022. India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the world, with 1.4 billion people.
The Australian Companies Institute (Ausbuy) was, until 2016, a non-profit, non-political organisation that encouraged Australians to support Australian-owned and Australian-made products and services. Their goal was to keep the jobs and profits in Australia and for the decisions to be made by Australians.
Farm programs can be part of a concentrated effort to boost a country’s agricultural productivity in general or in specific sectors where they may have a comparative advantage. There are many different types of farm programs, with a variety of objectives and created with different economic mechanisms in mind. Some are meant to benefit farmers directly, while others seek to benefit consumers. They target food prices and quantity of food available on the market, as well as production and consumption of certain goods. Some are meant to benefit farmers directly, while others seek to benefit consumers. They target food prices and quantity of food available on the market, as well as production and consumption of certain goods.
Kurt Jetta is a consumer researcher who studies data about multinational corporations through his firm, TABS Analytics, which is based in Shelton, Connecticut. The corporations Jetta has analyzed include Amazon, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Walmart, Apple. In addition, Jetta has also studied the organic food industry, the vitamin industry, and the online grocery industry. Other investigations led by Jetta include sociological research that pertains to the purchasing habits of various ethnic groups. In the area of trade promotion, Jetta has developed an alternative methodology to current industry baseline models. Jetta also analyzes rewards programs. He was a 2017 Republican candidate in Florida’s 21st Congressional District.
The disruptive effect of e-commerce on the global retail industry has been referred to as the Amazon Effect: the term refers to Amazon.com's dominant role in the e-commerce market place and its leading role in driving the disruptive impact on the retail market and its supply chain.