ASA: An indispensable tool in the supplier survival kit
The American Supply Association (ASA) markets itself as “an INDISPENSABLE resource, committed to giving its members the ABILITY to adapt, grow and succeed.” Right now, “adapt” is the key word in this commitment, because if you fail to do so, growth and success will be beyond your reach. So how does one adapt? Awareness and ASA’s tools and events help its members identify, prepare and adapt to the changes ahead.
Members of ASA, by and large, are aware of the current trends that threaten their businesses. Toward the top of the list are the big-box retail stores that are aggressively chasing your customers with promises of helping them grow their businesses with ease of access and wholesale-like support and services. In this effort, giants like Home Depot and Lowe’s are successfully blurring the lines between wholesale and retail in the eyes of many contractors, and these once-wholesale loyal customers are opting for the convenience, competitive pricing and in-store and online services that these companies are bringing to the table. To put some scale to this challenge, CNBC recently reported that Lowe’s added 35,000 pro customers in one quarter alone and Home Depot has already reached 1 million pro customers.