Manufacturers write one of four words into the “available to” line of a co-op plan: dealers, retailers, distributors, or wholesalers. We contract with the brand, and we built the dealer-facing side of every program for the people behind those four words, because a program only works if they actually use it.
Source: 1,286 manufacturer co-op plans with published terms, RECAS/CoopConnect data, analyzed by Co-Op Managers.
Each page covers who it is for, what changes when your brand works with us, and what to do if it does not yet.
Franchise and dealer networks: automotive, equipment, powersports, building products, home services. One brand, one storefront, a lot of paperwork.
For Dealers →Independent stores carrying twenty co-op brands at once: hardware, garden, jewelry, sporting goods, eyewear. The money is real; the process is why it goes unclaimed.
For Retailers →The tier the manufacturer sees. You buy direct, your dealers buy from you, and co-op has to pass through you to reach the people who run the ads.
For Distributors →The middle tier most plans forget. You rarely advertise, but your invoices are the retailer's proof of purchase, so you are in the paperwork path anyway.
For Wholesalers →| The old way still the industry standard | Co-Op Managers |
|---|---|
| The manufacturer sees the tier it invoices and nothing below it. | Every tier is configured in one program with its own balances, approvals, and reporting. |
| Proof of purchase for indirect buyers means mailing someone else's invoice. | The distributor or wholesaler invoice is already on record. Proof is automatic. |
| Middle tiers process claims for free and get no visibility in return. | Middle tiers see the local activity that flowed through them; they stop being unpaid clerks. |
| Retailers with twenty brands face twenty processes. | One login, every brand we manage, one process. |
Of the 206 brand-new active programs that appeared since 2018, 74 are HVAC and plumbing, and 21 more are run by HVAC distributors themselves. It is the largest category on CoopConnect and the only one growing this fast.
172 plans listed today, 103 active. Manufacturers, supply houses running their own programs, and the contractors who advertise, in one three-tier system.
Read the HVAC page →35 distributor-funded programs on CoopConnect today, none in 2018. When you fund it, you are the brand, and we run it for your dealers.
Read the Distributors page →Brand, dealer, retailer, distributor, or wholesaler: we will tell you what your programs actually offer and what changes when they run on Co-Op Command.