No matter the sector, Grainger’s vice president of global e-commerce says that all distributors need to consider how they will adapt online tools for their businesses. To do this effectively, understand what customers need to “pull the trigger” on a purchase, Paul Miller says in Behind Grainger's E-Commerce Strategy.
For some products, customers need more information to make a decision. For example, air conditioning units may require a more hands-on approach than paper towels. “You have to peel away a little bit,” Miller says. “What are the things that people need to make that choice?”
In other words, what can you add to the online experience that can help people who are searching for information about a product? What would encourage that potential or current customer to call or chat with you if they have further questions? And how can you further engage them so that they don’t move onto the same product on another website?
Read more from Miller in the latest issue of MDM: Behind Grainger’s E-Commerce Strategy.
Register for MDM’s upcoming March webcast, The State of E-Commerce in Distribution in 2014, sponsored by NetSuite.
