Their traditional duties are becoming untenable in the modern world.
It’s too simplistic to say their jobs will disappear. Most distributors continue to employ an outside sales force and will for the foreseeable future. The key issue is whether their roles are changing with the times, or whether they continue to operate like they did in the 20th century, filling their days with a lot of “courtesy calls” on customers who no longer have the time to indulge in chit-chat.