What type of strategy involves incentives offered to distribution partners?

The strategy that involves offering incentives to distribution partners is known as push marketing. In this approach, manufacturers or producers work to "push" their products through the distribution chain to ensure that they reach the end consumer. This can involve using financial incentives such as discounts, bonuses, or promotional allowances to encourage distributors, wholesalers, and retailers to promote and sell their products more actively.

Push marketing focuses on getting products into the hands of consumers by incentivizing intermediary partners, thereby increasing the likelihood that these partners will market and stock the product. This strategy contrasts with pull marketing, where the emphasis is on creating consumer demand that pulls the product through the distribution channel using advertising and promotions targeted directly at end customers.

The other strategies mentioned do not primarily focus on partnerships within the distribution chain. Direct marketing typically involves reaching out to consumers directly through non-store methods, while promotional marketing encompasses broader promotional activities aimed at consumers rather than channel partners. Thus, push marketing is distinctively characterized by its incentive-driven focus on distribution partners.