Thanks to all who participated in the “Innovation in Distribution” survey over the past few weeks. The survey closed on December 18 and we’re deep into analyzing the data and preparing the survey report (look for it in February). But in our preliminary review, we see three trends you might want to know about:

35.7% of respondents said their customers could place orders through their eCommerce sites. This means that about 2/3 of distributors are missing some critical opportunities:

• B2B customers have come to expect online ordering, just as B2C consumers do. In 2018, it's just "how it's done."
• Consequently, distributors who don't leverage eCommerce are essentially turning away cash customers.
• Those distributors are ALSO missing out on the automated upsell potential of eCommerce. (Think about the recommendations you get when you shop on Amazon.)

Nearly 65% of respondents answered "no" to the statement, "We have a warehouse automation system in place that supports barcode scanning and tells us where to put away and pick product."

When distributors can find efficiencies and reduce costs, those savings go straight to the bottom line. Distributors who’ve automated their warehouse operations are filling orders faster and more accurately, scaling profitability, and keeping customers happy and loyal.

Every distributor that responded to the survey has outside salespeople. But only 42.9% of those who answered this question are seizing a significant opportunity to gain revenue and customer loyalty.

When sales people can enter orders in the field (say, on wifi-enabled iPads that communicate directly with an ordering system), those orders get processed and shipped much faster—again, more customer love. Plus, on-the-spot upsells are easier (“Hey, while you’re here, I’m running low on…”).

If you participated in the “Innovation in Distribution” survey, thank you! We’ll email you as soon as we publish the report in mid-February. If you didn’t participate and would like a reserve your copy of the report, just click here.