A distributor can place an opening order and still leave the essential questions unresolved. Which dealers will stock the range? Who trains them, who replenishes a missing size, and what happens when the first customer returns with a problem?
Shipment figures describe the relationship between supplier and distributor. They say rather less about availability in individual outlets or the rate at which stock moves into use. A channel review that starts with the next order risks overlooking the reasons why the previous one has not sold through.
The practical work starts with the intended customer journey and follows it backwards. Agree the required coverage, the capability at each point and the measures both parties can use. Those arrangements, revisited as the market develops, are what turn an appointment into a channel.