Unlocking Online Sales: Why Distributors Fall Short and How to Fix It

While eCommerce, defined as orders placed via a website (online sales), for electrical distributors has been low according to the NAED PAR report, it should not be taken to mean that electrical contractors and industrial buyers are not seeking eSolutions.

Research that Channel Marketing Group has conducted, and interviews that we’ve held with electrical contractors, has revealed that customers are using distributor websites … for product research and selection, to obtain spec sheets, to gain pricing, to determine if product is in-stock and yes, placing orders. Some contractors tell us that they use some sites while ordering from a different distributor.

The importance is widespread and while many perceive there is a generational divide, this is not deterministic.

What it comes down to is providing customers choice. Choice is how they want to interact with their distributor at that moment in time. Sometimes it is for efficiency. Sometimes they prefer self-sufficiency. Sometimes it is expediency due to working “off-hours.”

There are opportunities to make eCommerce easier.

Justin Johnson, founder of Motivate, shares thoughts and new functionality that distributors can provide to their customers to further differentiate themselves and make eCommerce easier … through “bulk upload” and phone-to-site ordering (he has a model where customers can make a “call” to your website to verbalize their order! It’s essentially a “plug-in” to your site.)

Justin’s thoughts …

Unlocking Online Sales

In an era where you can buy almost anything online, why are so many distributors still struggling to sell effectively on their websites? It’s not because buyers are stuck in the past—they’re ready to go digital. The problem? Most distributor websites aren’t designed to meet their needs.

Here’s the reality: outdated eCommerce experiences are driving buyers back to phones, emails, and even faxes. According to a Gartner study, 83% of B2B buyers prefer ordering or paying through digital commerce channels, but only 17% say their supplier’s websites meet their expectations. Let’s break down what’s going wrong and, more importantly, how you can fix it.

Why Distributors Fall Short

1. The Catalog Maze

Most distributor websites force buyers to navigate sprawling catalogs and add items to their cart one painful click at a time. For buyers ordering dozens—or hundreds—of SKUs, it’s like solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded.

2. No Bulk Ordering Tools

Your buyers aren’t shopping for a single screwdriver—they’re uploading entire Purchase Orders (POs) or bills of materials (BOMs). If your website doesn’t support PO uploads or bulk ordering, it’s game over. This is critical when you consider that 75% of B2B buyers say speed and ease of ordering are the top drivers of supplier loyalty (Forrester).

3. Lack of Flexibility

Think about this: buyers live on their phones and inboxes. If your eCommerce platform can’t handle orders via email, text, or voice, you’re leaving money on the table. McKinsey reports that 70% of B2B decision-makers now prefer remote or digital self-service channels, making flexibility a must.

What Buyers Really Want

B2B buyers aren’t avoiding your website because they don’t like technology—they’re avoiding it because it slows them down. Here’s what they’re looking for:

• Speed: Tools that make ordering quick and painless.
• Flexibility: The ability to place orders their way—whether that’s a PO upload, a quick email, or a text message.
• Confidence: Accurate pricing, real-time inventory, and detailed product information they can trust.

When these needs aren’t met, the stakes are high: Salesforce found that 57% of B2B buyers will switch to a competitor if their expectations for digital convenience aren’t met.

How to Fix It—and Win Online Sales

1. Make Bulk Orders a Breeze

Stop forcing buyers to key in orders one item at a time. Give them the ability to upload POs, BOMs, or spreadsheets directly to their cart. The easier you make bulk ordering, the faster they’ll hit “buy.”

2. Meet Buyers Where They Are

Email-to-cart? Check. Text-to-cart? Check. Voice-to-cart? Why not? By integrating multiple ordering methods, you’re not just selling—you’re solving problems.

3. Rethink Your Catalog

If your website feels like an obstacle course, buyers won’t stick around. Upgrade your navigation and search features with predictive tools and saved lists to make browsing painless. Remember, 64% of B2B buyers cite poor navigation as a primary frustration (Accenture).

4. Show Real-Time Data

Imagine trying to order from a site that doesn’t reflect your negotiated pricing or says, “call for availability.” Buyers won’t bother. Show custom pricing, live inventory, and detailed specs to keep them clicking. Nearly 90% of B2B buyers agree that having up-to-date product data significantly impacts their decision to buy online (Sana Commerce).

 Why Online Sales Matter

By 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions are expected to happen online (Gartner). If your eCommerce platform isn’t delivering, your buyers will move on—fast. The stakes are high, but so is the reward. Distributors who make the leap to modern, buyer-focused eCommerce will see the payoff in more online sales, happier customers, and fewer back-and-forth emails.

The Bottom Line

Distributors aren’t losing online sales because buyers don’t want to use their websites. They’re losing sales because their websites aren’t built for how buyers actually work.

Stop asking buyers to jump through hoops. Make ordering simple, fast, and flexible, and watch your eCommerce sales soar. The future is online, and the time to adapt is now.

About the Author

Justin Johnson is the founder and CEO of Motivate, an AI-driven sales process automation platform for B2B distributors. Motivate empowers inside sales teams to reduce quote and order times by more than 45%, while its patent-pending ecommerce module has been shown to boost distributor online sales by more than 300%.

Take Aways

For m any distributors, eCommerce has created a “digital divide” with most small, and many mid-sized, distributors (essentially companies less than $50 or 100 million) not offering eCommerce solutions due to content challenges and the perceived costliness of implementing eCommerce solutions. While there are solutions (that combine content and platforms that are cost-effective), many companies have invested much Motivate offers solutions to enhance current distributor offerings that enable distributors to further differentiate their eCommerce offerings.

In speaking with contractors, they remain frustrated with many distributors’ product content as well as their sites. It’s an ongoing challenge that also frustrates distributors due to continued expense.

And the bigger challenge for distributors is generating an ROI on their investment. The reality, however, is that offering an eCommerce solution is table-stakes. It is now a “must-have” as it is difficult to determine which customer it is important to, and when.

If you already have a robust site, I recommend reaching out to Justin and learn more about his tools. If you don’t have a site, reach out and I can share some other things we’re working on that could enable you to capitalize on the growth in eCommerce.