30-second answer
Websites, marketplaces, social commerce and livestreaming blur territory. A customer may live in the distributor’s region but buy from the brand’s site after clicking distributor-funded advertising. Attribution must be defined before disputes arise.
Applied situation (illustrative)
Consider a China-facing distribution scenario: The brand launches a direct-to-consumer promotion while its distributor holds inventory bought at an older price. The contract may reserve online channels yet say little about promotion timing, customer attribution or stock adjustment.
Classify the problem before calling everything “breach”
What the brand should focus on
Brands should define approved platforms, flagship-store authority, ad geographies, pricing rules, customer data and allocation of online orders.
What the distributor/agent should focus on
Distributors should negotiate verifiable attribution through UTM tags, codes, CRM, postal regions or protection periods rather than relying on assumptions.
Clauses and records to check
- Reserved web channels
- Customer attribution
- Promotion notice
- Stock price protection
- Account access
Compare the reserved online channel with promotion approvals, customer ownership and price protection for stock already purchased. For a China-facing chain, reconcile the Chinese and English versions with orders, seals, invoices and the receiving account. Identify any gap between the brand owner and the supplier.
Additional point for China-Related Cross-Border
Match Chinese and English contract versions, signatures or seals, purchase-order terms, invoice entity and payment recipient. If the brand owner, supplier, exporter and payee differ, document each entity’s authority and responsibility before escalating.
Financial exposure and response options
Compare the promotion period with stock bought at earlier prices, discounts actually offered and customer attribution data.
Settlement terms worth writing down
For this China-facing arrangement, write down how reserved web channels, promotion notice and account access will be handled. Set dates and responsibilities for payment or handover, and state what happens if an agreed step is missed.