eCommerce is an ever-evolving challenge for distributors. As Amazon makes inroads into industrial parts and the national distributors focus on growing their online businesses, mid-sized distributors are left with the challenge of how to compete. The question is no longer if your customers will buy online, it is when and where. If your customers aren’t purchasing online now, the upcoming five to ten years will see that change as digital-first millennials become your customer base.
There are three core opportunities we see for independent distributors to compete: