channel partner 通路夥伴

出處: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/channel_partner.html

The phrase used to describe a company that partners with a manufacturer or producer to market and sell the manufacturer's products, services, or technologies?usually through an affiliate partner or reseller relationship. 

Channel partners may be distributors, vendors, retailers, consultants, systems integrators (SI), technology deployment consultancies, and value-added resellers (VARs) and other organizations. 

In reselling, the partner takes title to product and resells. Usually, the relationship is defined by the manufacturer's equipment being part of a larger solution offered to customers by the channel partner. The partner will "add value" (see VAR) to the product or technology, or even build a solution that utilizes one or more of the vendors' products. 

Channel partners form relationships for a number of different reasons and results. For the manufacturer, a channel partner can help bring a new product to market and increase visibility of a brand and boost sales. For the business, it helps open the doors to new business with a lower cost and a smaller risk factor than producing your own technology or merging/acquiring to obtain the technology for your service portfolio. 

The primary difference between distributors and channel partners is that distributors do not usually sell directly to end users ?instead they are in the middle between vendors and channel partners, often providing their own value in terms of special pricing, training, technical support, marketing and other types of assistance that benefit the channel partners with whom they work.