Recommended Reading: Disrupters Prove Need to Engage Customers - Modern Distribution Management

Recommended Reading: Disrupters Prove Need to Engage Customers

Uber, Amazon just two examples of how companies can change the rules.
Eric-Smith-84x84

Successful businesses – including distributors – today are ones that can anticipate customer needs, and two examples from outside distribution – Uber and Amazon – epitomize this shift, according to Sanjay Agarwal and Guy Blissett in Wholesale Distribution Disrupted, Part 2: Engage to Combat Disruption.

Uber challenged the orthodoxies of the taxi trip by more accurately matching capacity with customer demand while also providing more a convenient method of payment transaction. And Amazon has disrupted numerous industries and interactions, one example being its Dash button, which makes the process of reordering home products more convenient.

Wholesale distributors can take a page from these companies' playbooks to fend off the disruptions that are sure to come from players developing technologically innovative ways to anticipate and shape customer interactions.

"The distribution industry’s customer-centricity and the premium placed on face-to-face interactions will need to transform to better align insights, interactions and channels with shifting expectations," Agarwal and Blissett say. "Face-to-face interactions will likely become fewer in number but more relevant in terms of content. Instead of reactively meeting customer needs, leading distributors will proactively engage the customer. They will sense and shape demand, deliver a superior experience, capture and leverage insights, and realize incremental value.

According to a recent Forrester Research study, B2B buyers would rather self-educate about products and services than talk to sales representatives by a 3-to-1 margin, while 75 percent of B2B buyers prefer to buy online instead of through a sales rep.

Distributors must adapt to this new reality, according to Agarwal and Blissett. "With the emergence of such an informed, empowered and independent B2B customer, the onus is shifting to engaging the customer in new ways, at numerous different touchpoints and at a whole new level," they say.

Read more about shifting your company's model to better engage customers in Wholesale Distribution Disrupted, Part 2: Engage to Combat Disruption.

Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!