COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) has launched a research project to gain greater insight into the forces affecting the commercial refrigeration channel.

Compared to other product channels, HARDI has found a limited amount of existing research on the commercial refrigeration channel, and aims to support members involved in the manufacturing and distribution of commercial refrigeration products by addressing the following items:

1. The factors driving end-user purchases and buying patterns.
2. The ways in which contractors market their products to end-users, and the factors determining who contractors select as their primary supplier(s).
3. The relationship between distributors and contractors, specifically as it relates to the services distributors offer contractors and the ways distributors support their contractor customers.
4. The ways in which suppliers evaluate the development of new products, and how they market both new and existing products to potential customers.

With the support of HARDI’s Refrigeration Council, the project will be led by HARDI’s Market Intelligence team, Tim Fisher, Brian Loftus, and Joe Hartge, in conjunction with an outside market research firm for all primary research efforts. Research will include surveys, interviews, and focus groups of manufacturers, distributors, contractors, and end users.