For the 2014 Distribution Trends Report, scheduled for release on June 25, we have been talking with distributors across segments about what they are focused on for the remainder of the year.
Upgrading e-commerce platforms is a priority for many. That supports the data we reported in January that 70 percent of distributors plan to invest in e-commerce in 2014.
MDM has many resources on best practices in e-commerce design and implementation. Here are five tips on e-commerce from the MDM Archives:
1. Use the knowledge you have to build a content-rich website that will establish your expertise and provide value to your customers. Learn how social media and blogs can help with this in The Social Media Challenge: ROI.
2. Understand how customers want to communicate and do business with you, and focus on that when upgrading your website. Learn more about Grainger’s approach to this in Behind Grainger’s E-Commerce Strategy.
3. Take advantage of synergies between print catalogs and your online platform. Read more in E-Commerce & Catalog: Fast Friends in Distribution
4. Prioritize clean data. Completeness and accuracy of product data is critical. Read more in Good Product Data: Oxygen for Catalogs, Websites.
5. Use search marketing to acquire new customers rather than to grow wallet share with existing customers. Learn more in The 2014 State of E-Commerce in Distribution: The Multichannel Factor.
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