The distribution landscape is rapidly shifting due to accelerating digitization, changes in customer behavior and other factors, but understanding these forces of change is the first step to prepare for them, according to Guy Blissett in Wholesale Distribution Disrupted.

"Swift advances in new technology or seismic shifts in how customers want to interact," can overwhelm distributors, Blissett says, but "some perspective on these disruptions can help navigate the new market realities".

For example, although digital helps to enable technology, "the transformational shift in value creation that it is driving" is what makes it truly disruptive, according to Blissett.

Digitization helps distributors make more informed decisions regarding inventory as well as how to better serve customers, he says. However, the transparency that digital has created makes it easier for customers to comparison shop – increasing competition for distributors.

Distributors that want to remain competitive need to leverage the benefits of digital and other innovative systems to better serve customers.

Read more about how to navigate forces of change in Wholesale Distribution Disrupted.