Here’s what to consider when considering what “product” means to your distribution business and your customer relationships.
Marketing Mix: The Value of Getting It Right
Since the early 1960s, most companies have organized marketing activities into the “Marketing Mix,” or the “4 Ps”: Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Distribution Strategy Group shares how to get that mix right.
What’s a Good Customer Profile Worth? A lot.
Most distributors keep busy enough just handling incoming calls, emails and, in many cases orders from their website. But how do we know if we are actually winning?
Value in the Time of COVID-19: What Customers Value Changes with the Times
It’s probably even more important for your long-term success to take some time now to revisit why you are in business and what customers want and need most from you.
The eBusiness and Economic Benefits of Data Synchronization
Because the IDEA Connector dramatically lowers ordering costs, the cost savings fall to the bottom line and directly increase profits. With manufacturers and distributors operating on razor-thin margins, strategic changes that reduce costs can have significant impacts on profitability.
How to Use Analytics to Make Money with Small Customers
For the best customers, Distributors can devote resources to maximizing the business relationship, while for less profitable and less efficient customers, Distributors can find ways to lower cost-to-serve and increase dollars per transaction.
What to Do About Accounts That Cost You Money
A surprise for many Distributors is that a lot of accounts they consider “good customers” because of the frequency or regularity of orders, the total amount of revenue they contribute or the total gross profit or gross margin percentage they seem to provide are actually costing them significantly more money than they bring in to the company.
How and Why to Use Analytics to Segment Customers for Maximum Profit
While most distributors learned long ago to avoid managing for top-line sales revenue as a measure of results, many of today’s distribution businesses still believe that managing by gross margin is effective. In particular, sales compensation is typically rewarded based on gross margin for a particular deal.
The ROI Case for E-Commerce
Research from the previously published annual 2015 State of E-Commerce Study indicates that more than 41 percent of distributors are generating less than 5 percent of revenue through e-commerce.
2013 State of Distributor E-Commerce
E-commerce revenue as a portion of total revenue has grown significantly in the past year through the growth of existing e-commerce sites, as well as new implementations, according to a joint MDM online survey with Distribution Strategy Group conducted at the end of 2012.