Thanks to Amazon, B2B buyers now demand faster service from their distributors because that’s what they’re used to at home, according to Wade McDaniel, vice president of supply chain solutions, Avnet Inc., Phoenix, AZ, in Better Supply Chain=Improved Profitability.
If a selfie stick or sand wedge ordered on Amazon can arrive at a buyer’s home the next day, customers expect that same precision for an HVAC unit or embedded electronic device being shipped to a business.
“Expectations are at a higher level than ever,” McDaniel says. And when those expectations aren’t met, likely because a company’s supply chain has a kink somewhere, the customer will look elsewhere, he says. “The customers get what they want in the end.”
McDaniel calls it the “Amazonification” of the supply chain, in which customers, even in the B2B realm, demand immediate notification of order placement, shipment, delivery and any delays that might have occurred throughout the process – in addition to quick delivery. Suppliers who don’t keep up could risk being left in Amazon's dust.
Read more about improving supply chains in Better Supply Chain=Improved Profitability.
