Expertek Blog

I’ve been writing this year about eCommerce and how it can help small-to-medium-sized distribution businesses stay competitive. In June, the US Supreme Court made eCommerce a little more complicated thanks to—but fortunately there are technology solutions that can simplify things.

Topics: distribution, eCommerce, business velocity, software, sales tax

File this story under "I thought I'd seen it all in this business." 

A distributor recently approached us about moving their software into our Cloud. Naturally, I was pleased to take the conversation, and my eyes were opened when he explained why:  

One of his customers, a Fortune 500 manufacturer, was insisting that all its vendors comply with the new EU privacy laws under GDPR. The distributor's on-premises system couldn't provide the stringent, required security assurances—so to keep the customer, he's moving to the Cloud. 

Topics: data security, GDPR, privacy

Forrester Research has projected that by 2021, eCommerce will comprise 13.1% of all US B2B sales, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.4%. A while back, I wrote about eCommerce as the #1 way to grow your distribution business, and part of that conversation included establishing an effective eCommerce presence through 3rd party sites.

It may surprise you to learn that the site with the most opportunity for major revenue boosts is Amazon. That’s right—the world’s number one retail mass marketplace might also be a profitable B2B sales channel for your distribution business.

Topics: distribution, eCommerce, innovation

Some time ago I posted about eCommerce for distributors, and how it's the #1 way to grow your business. Whether or not you're ready to commit to a digital retailing strategy (it IS a big step), I encourage you to take a serious look at adopting digital marketing.

Topics: distributors, eCommerce, business transformation, digital marketing, martech, digital marketing toolkit

At the TUG Connects 2018 Conference in late March, the Expertek team unveiled our new integration of StarShip shipping software with Infor SX.e and CloudSuite Distribution. In just a few weeks, it's become one of our most talked-about offerings ever.

Topics: distribution, business transformation, innovation, business velocity, shipping, software

 

Small-to-medium-size distributors: You are under threat.

With product and pricing information readily available online, your reliable customers are looking elsewhere for the items they need—and prospective new customers may be overlooking you entirely. It’s time to fight back. It’s time for business transformation.

Topics: distribution, innovation, webinar

I'm convinced that every small-to-medium-sized distributor has a wealth of valuable treasure hidden in their warehouse. It's not something you can hold in your hand like gemstones or gold doubloons. What I'm talking about is the profits to be gained when you create more efficient processes in your warehouse operations.

Topics: Innovation in Distribution Survey, distribution, business transformation, innovation, business velocity, warehouse management systems, WMS

 

Every successful distributor needs a wide, deep moat. No, I’m not advising you to encircle your warehouses with water- and crocodile-filled ditches.

What I’m writing about is a term Warren Buffett popularized in 1999 when he summed up his investment strategy: 

Topics: Customer loyalty, Innovation in Distribution Survey, distribution, business transformation, innovation

 

The Expertek team wrapped up a busy month of March with four days in Phoenix at TUG Connects 2018, the annual meeting for users of Infor Distribution software. It's our favorite conference because it always shines a spotlight on the most important issues, trends, and opportunities in the distribution industry.  

Topics: Innovation in Distribution Survey, distribution, product updates, TUG conference, innovation

I recently posted an article here entitled, eCommerce: The #1 Way to Grow Your Distribution Business. If you read it, you learned about a small distributor that, having dipped its toes into eCommerce, is going all-in—fully committing to eCommerce while maintaining its traditional sales channels.

Topics: distribution, product updates, TUG conference