It used to be easy for manufacturers to bless certain companies as favored sellers for certain regions or types of products. But the increased market liquidity brought about by the internet is helping change all that, causing consumer packaged goods companies to instead stratify their products into completely different brands. Many are selling one brand directly themselves, offering retailers what appears to be another product, often at a very different price point. Another factor influencing the proliferation of market segmentations is the bludgeoning many manufacturers receive at the hands of the major big box retailers, like Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Wholesale buyers at those large retailers demand exclusive price deals that can more easily be given if the manufacturer isn't offering just one version of the product.