Over the past few weeks, I’ve been observing the quarterly reports and other communiques by distributors in a number of industries – Sonepar, Rexel, Watsco, Fastenal, Grainger, Ferguson and similar – and there has been a recurring trend … growth […]
If we’re to believe, AI is going to solve all our problems! It’s going to manage the sales organization, handle quoting, respond to customer service calls, make product recommendations, manage inventory, recommend and adjust pricing, analyze the business, simplify marketing, […]
For years I’ve talked to clients and communicated on ElectricalTrends that eCommerce is not about buying online via a website. That it is about is doing commerce (business) electronically. It’s not a branch (some used the term eBranch and tried […]
Over the past month or two as I’ve been talking with distributors the question comes up of “What are other distributors doing with AI?” For clients I share a list of possibilities, some are purpose-built applications from technology companies in […]
As distributors seek cost-effective ways to improve customer experience, improve productivity and have a cost-effective sales tool, while doing all of these digitally, ElectricalTrends is pleased to welcome our newest partner, Prokeep. Prokeep offers a unique solution to distributors, which […]
The concept of digital transformation, let alone AI, as a future driver for your organization is probably a folly unless … You have a leader, and leadership team, which believes in change. There are two key words in the above […]
Electrical distributors are faced with a number of challenges. There is the everyday challenge of fighting for business, with most in a “flat” market. There is the challenge to recruit talent. There is the challenge to ensure profitability. Perhaps one […]
Within the electrical industry, distributors like to learn from each other. Modern Distribution Management (MDM) launched a series of distributor case studies last fall with a case study on Fastenal. Recently they ran a three-part series on Wesco, culminating in […]
According to the latest NAED PAR report, electrical distributors generate 5.2% of their sales via their websites (the median is 2.2%). The data is from about 100 companies, and most would say this is overstated. The report shares that distributors […]
There was a phrase years ago that is attributed to EF Hutton, which was a financial advisory firm that goes “when EF Hutton speaks, people listen.” The inference that they had a wide reach, and somewhen influence. The same goes […]
