Industrial distribution is facing disruption and is at a tipping point. Distributors are facing an increased threat not only from its competitors but also from adjacent sectors like retailers and manufacturers who are beginning to transact directly.
Meanwhile, Amazon Business is changing the distributors’ landscape. There are talent challenges too for distributors as millennials who are entering the workforce expect their employers to have a strong investment in technology. 
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Being Digital
Distributors realize that digitalization is the way to go but are not sure how to do it.
Here are some stats from the research conducted by Distribution Strategy Group with Modern Distribution Management –
- Just 21 percent of distributors are relatively satisfied with their e-commerce initiatives.
- Another 42 percent are in the category of potentially needing an e-commerce overhaul.
Further, the research lists the top two priorities for e-commerce:
- Improve the customer experience
- Increase the frequency of website use and transactions
The good news is it’s not too late to face this challenge and turn it into a competitive advantage.
In 2015, distributors with more than 10% of eCommerce revenue were 33%. By 2020, distributors with more than 10% of eCommerce revenue are projected to be 64% which is nearly double of what was just three years ago.
Please see the figure below.
By 2020, it’s expected that B2B buyers will make over half of their purchases online–a trend that is only beginning but accelerating quickly.
Industrial Distribution Summit 2019
Industrial Distribution Summit (IDS 2019) is an attempt to bring together experts and practitioners who have built eCommerce sites and know the opportunities/challenges of digital transformation.
The speakers and most of the attendees will be from the distribution industry, and they will be discussing on how to identify the right eCommerce platform, what capabilities should get built into it, what are challenges of implementing eCommerce and measuring the ROI for the same.
Why you should attend IDS 2019?
Here’s what will be the overall agenda of the event…
- Know how you can build an effective online presence
- Assess the capabilities you have to build into the site to attract buyers
- Understand the role of digitalization in business growth
- Need for a distributor to take a multichannel approach
- Exploit the best practices to implement your digital strategy
- Use eCommerce analytics to improve the impact on digital strategy
- Amazon is disrupting distribution and what must distributors do
We are bringing together experts and practitioners who have built eCommerce sites and know the opportunities/challenges of digital transformation.
Join us at IDS 2019
Join us for a one-day, full of forward-thinking, practical sessions in digitizing distribution, eCommerce implementation, measuring ROI, and more. At Industrial Distribution Summit (IDS) you’ll connect with our fantastic community of industry leaders, chat with the speakers and, pick up some cool swag, and have some fun in the cocktail party.
Super Early Bird tickets are limited and selling quickly — Save $125 for IDS 2019 by registering now!
Valid until Feb 15.
Grab My Super Early Bird Savings!
