Dear Reader,
We’re on Day 2 of this 30-day challenge. Yesterday, I spoke about distribution in its physical sense, how being available in the real world changes everything for a company.
Today I want to take that a bit further to see distribution not just as visibility, but as acquisition.
Let me explain.
When we think about acquiring customers, our minds go to campaigns, funnels, and ads. But in many ways, distribution is acquisition because the more available you are, the more likely people are to choose you, even unintentionally.
Let’s go back to FMCG for a second.
When you enter a store (or even visit 3 different stores) and only see Loyal Milk or Indomie on the shelves, you’re witnessing a physical example of optimised distribution. You end up buying it not necessarily because it’s your favourite, but because it’s the one that’s there. Availability wins. Those brands have engineered availability density, a form of placement dominance that converts visibility into a default choice.
That’s why Indomie dominates. It’s not just good marketing or taste. It’s because Indomie is everywhere, in kiosks, supermarkets, street corners, and school shops. Even if other brands exist, they never quite show up consistently enough to win shelf space in your daily life.
This is a conversion path built on infrastructure, not persuasion. The customer doesn’t choose you because of messaging. They choose you because you’re there when intent is formed.
Now think about how this plays out in tech.
When a new Android phone ships with pre-installed apps like PalmPay, boom play or Google tools that’s distribution at work. The user doesn’t have to go searching or download anything. The product is just there, waiting. That’s a customer acquired by design, not by ad spend.
These aren’t partnerships for visibility alone; they’re engineered acquisition surfaces. Each surface is a potential entry point into the product experience without friction or discovery cost.
Distribution is not just a “channel.” It’s a user acquisition layer built into the product’s delivery or integration model. We sometimes over-complicate growth, chasing perfect campaigns instead of thinking, where can we simply show up?
Where can we be the “Loyal milk” or “Indomie noodles” of our category?
When you design for distribution as acquisition, you start asking different questions:
Where does my ideal user already operate digitally?
What systems can I embed into (APIs, marketplaces, partner platforms, devices)?
Can I convert presence (being seen) into activation (being used)?
Technically, you can model this as an acquisition loop:
Distribution nodes (app stores, OEM deals, API integrations, affiliate embeds) feed into
Acquisition surfaces (places where users encounter your product naturally), which then feed into
Activation points (where first use or signup happens).
So maybe the next time you’re planning a campaign, pause and ask: where are my users naturally hanging out, transacting, or spending time and how can my product live there?
That’s distribution as acquisition.
And it might just be the most underrated growth lever you’re not pulling yet.
See you tomorrow!