Identify and compare potential distributors or agents against an agreed market and category brief.
Research, channel development and digital marketing support
Finding a distributor or agent in a new ASEAN market usually starts with a web search or a referral from someone who once worked with one company. Neither produces a comparable set of candidates, and neither confirms that a company is active, properly registered and genuinely experienced in your category. Distributor Shortlist replaces that guesswork with a structured candidate search against criteria agreed at the start.
Most disappointing distributor appointments trace back to something that was never checked before the first meeting.
Registration is not the same as activity. Company registries list many businesses with broad trading licences, and a matching business line does not show that a company actually distributes products in your category, holds the stock or reaches the customers you need. A shortlist that has not been checked for real market presence can put a registered shell at the top of your outreach list.
Category fit matters more than general trading capability. A distributor with experience in your product category, or an adjacent one, already understands its customers, channels and after-sales expectations. Screening for that experience, and for existing brands that could compete with yours, narrows the field to candidates worth the time of a first conversation.
A raw directory list is not a shortlist. Contact details go stale, company names differ between registries and trading brands, and scale indicators are scattered across sources. Reconciling that information for each candidate, and recording how and when each point was checked, gives your team a defensible basis for prioritising outreach instead of a list to sort through again.
Each candidate is assessed against the same criteria, and the evidence behind every assessment is recorded.
We agree the product category, geography, target channels, minimum scale and service capabilities before the search starts, together with any exclusivity expectations and conflicts with brands a candidate may already carry. Clear criteria keep the search focused and make the final ranking easy to explain.
We use public company registries, trade association records, sector sources and observable market evidence to assemble a candidate set. Candidates you already know can be included, and any companies you want excluded are removed before screening begins.
We review the available evidence for each candidate’s registration status, category activity, market presence and indicators of scale, such as registered capital, headcount or filed financials where available. Confirmed facts are distinguished from claims that need further diligence, so nothing unverified is presented as settled.
We rank candidates against the agreed criteria and record current business contact information where it is available. Each contact record notes how and when it was checked, and the ranking explains which candidates to prioritise and why.
Each market page sets out the local context, the checks that matter there and what to prepare before the work begins.
Identify and compare potential distributors or agents against an agreed market and category brief. Focused on Vietnam.
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Identify and compare potential distributors or agents against an agreed market and category brief. Focused on Thailand.
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Identify and compare potential distributors or agents against an agreed market and category brief. Focused on Indonesia.
Explore the serviceThe engagement letter confirms the final deliverables and level of detail.
Profiles of the candidates assessed against consistent selection criteria, with a ranking that shows how each one fits your category, territory and scale requirements. The candidates to prioritise for outreach are identified, along with the reasons they stand out.
For each candidate, the sources used, the dates they were checked, the supporting observations about market presence and scale, and any checks that remain unresolved. Your team can see at a glance which points are confirmed and which still need diligence.
The candidates to approach first, the questions to raise in early conversations and the points to verify before any agreement, such as permissions, capacity and existing brand commitments. It is written so that the list can be handed straight into outreach.
A precise brief keeps the candidate set relevant.
Scroll the table horizontally on smaller screens.
| Input | What to include |
|---|---|
| Product and market | Category, territory, target channels and intended volumes. |
| Must-have criteria | Capabilities, scale, existing brands and exclusivity expectations. |
| Known candidates | Existing contacts, exclusions and any prior partner experience. |
Candidate research does not include sales outreach, introductions, negotiation or a guarantee of a commercial relationship. Any contact-validation activity is agreed separately.
Outreach, introductions and first meetings with candidates are a separate assignment that can use the shortlist directly. Legal review of any resulting distribution agreement should be coordinated with legal advisers, including Viettonkin’s legal services where appropriate.
Where the real question is whether existing distributors are performing, the Channel Health Check is the better starting point. It can show whether a replacement search is needed at all, and in which territories or channels it should focus.
Engagements from Viettonkin’s published case studies. Each card states where the work took place and summarises what we did; the case itself gives the full context.
Practical answers for planning your marketing brief.
Commercial outreach and meeting arrangements are not included in the research scope. Agree any contact-validation or introduction activity explicitly.
No. Registration is one input. Category experience, capacity, permissions and commercial fit require evidence and may need further diligence.
Each shortlist is built for one category in one market, so that the criteria and evidence stay comparable. Further categories or markets are scoped as separate searches.
They are agreed after reviewing the market, scope, source material, access requirements and delivery responsibilities.
Share your target market, business objective and current setup. We will agree the deliverables, responsibilities and next step.
