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AI in Distribution

AI Capex Surge Signals a New Operating Reality for Distributors

Procurement budgets are tightening as organizations redirect capital toward AI infrastructure.
  • Mark Brohan
  • November 19, 2025
news home depot
AI in Distribution

Home Depot Highlights New AI Blueprint Takeoff Tool as Housing Weakens

Home Depot is accelerating its tech investments in the Pro segment, highlighted by a new AI-powered material estimation tool.
  • Mark Brohan
  • November 18, 2025
AI in Distribution

Agentic AI in Distribution: What Research Actually Shows

93% of distributors expect increased AI usage, but many are not beyond exploration.
  • Brian Hopkins
  • November 18, 2025

Upcoming Programs

  • Upcoming Program

Economy and Geopolitics: Key Insights for Distribution Leaders in 2026

Join us on Nov. 20, 2025 at 9PT/12ET to explore how global politics, trade shifts, and economic trends will shape business in 2026.
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

AI News and Gurus: Educational Strategy and Insights Lead

Join us on Dec 2, 2025 9PT/12ET for the latest AI and B2B insights and how leading companies are adapting to new customer expectations
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

Breakthroughs in Warehouse and Logistics Technology

Join us on Dec. 3, 2025 at 9PT/12ET to discover how breakthroughs in warehouse and logistics technology are transforming supply chains and operations.
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

How Midsize Distributors Leverage Technology to Compete

Join us on Dec 10, 2025 at 9PT/12ET to learn how midsize distributors modernize systems and use AI to boost efficiency, and growth.
Register Now
AI in Distribution

Salesforce Unveils Agentforce Commerce as AI Purchasing Surges

For distributors the Salesforce update is a big indicator that digital commerce is moving B2B into AI-native environments.
  • Distribution Strategy Group
  • November 17, 2025
AI in Distribution

How AI Turns Exoskeletons into Adaptive Workplace Tools

AI is transforming industrial exoskeletons by enabling the devices to adapt to individual users.
  • Distribution Strategy Group
  • November 14, 2025
AI in Distribution

Amazon Business’ AI Expansion at Reshape 2025 Tightens Procurement

For distributors, the takeaway is direct: competing in this environment requires deeper integration with customers.
  • Mark Brohan
  • November 13, 2025

Recent Reports

State of eCommerce

Navigating Distribution’s New Landscape in 2025

Strategic Approaches for Sustainable Growth

Best Practices to Compete in a Changing Market

donuts
Distribution Marketing

The Younger Your Customers, the More Important Your Sales Reps

Your value proposition – not the age of the buyer – determines the value your sales reps can add.
  • Ian Heller
  • October 12, 2021
sales channel icons - phone, email, mail, marketplace, storefront
Distribution Sales Strategy

Webinar: State of Manufacturer Sales Channels

In this free webinar you’ll get the latest research on manufacturers’ plans to reach the end-user, and how distributors fit into the picture.
  • Dean Mueller
  • October 6, 2021
Manufacturers’ Top 3 Concerns About Traditional Distribution Channels
Digital Strategy

Manufacturers’ Top 3 Concerns About Traditional Distribution Channels

Here’s why an increasing number of manufacturers are going direct to the end customer.
  • Ian Heller
  • October 5, 2021
Digital brain on a computer chip indicating AI
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: On the Front Lines of Benco’s Digital Transformation Story (September 29, 2021)

In this episode you’ll hear from this visionary leader about how they came to the decision and how the journey is going.
  • Ian Heller
  • September 29, 2021
checklist
Distribution Marketing

40+ Ways Distributors Are Using Analytics for Growth

Here are more than 40 ways distributors are using analytics to improve sales effectiveness, increase efficiencies, and drive growth.
  • Jonathan Bein
  • September 27, 2021
Shake Up Sales Models and See Results
Digital Strategy

Shake Up Sales Models and See Results

An early jump into next-generation capabilities could help distributors grow at twice the rate of the economy. 
  • Benj Cohen
  • September 23, 2021
Silver screw in a field of rusty screws
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: Global Industrial CEO Barry Litwin: Driving Differentiation Amid Disruption (September 15, 2021)

In this episode we spoke with Barry Litwin, CEO of Global Industrial Supply, a $1B distributor focusing on small and midsize businesses.
  • Ian Heller
  • September 15, 2021
Distribution Marketing

6 Steps to Help Your Customers on Their Shopping & Buying Journey

Take bold action to meet build an efficient, seamless experience no matter the channel your customers are shopping and buying from.
  • Dean Mueller
  • September 15, 2021
business people standing around talking with the Varis logo
Distribution Industry Analysis

Office Depot Hires the Amazon Business Team to Build a Rival Marketplace

As many distributors wonder how to respond to the breathtaking growth of Amazon Business, Office Depot has gone on to create what looks like
  • Ian Heller
  • September 14, 2021
Distribution Industry Analysis

3 New Strategies Distributors Are Embracing in 2022

Distributors learned some difficult lessons through the pandemic, and they’re planning to build resilience by investing further in digital capabilities, accommodating remote work where feasible, and more.  This post
  • Ian Heller
  • September 8, 2021
shopping cart represented digitally with an arrow pointing down into the basket
Digital Strategy

Webinar: Is Your Product Data Making You Money or Costing You Sales?

Join us for a fireside chat with Dawn Zassick, VP Customer Solutions at Magnitude Agility, for insider tips on using your product data to
  • Ian Heller
  • September 8, 2021
Marketplace
Digital Strategy

The Risk That Marketplaces Pose to Your Distribution Business

Platforms are indeed “eating the world.” Most distributors can still choose whether they will do the eating or be the meal.  This post presents
  • Ian Heller
  • August 23, 2021
Distribution Industry Analysis

How AI Drives Sales Productivity to Offset Labor Shortages

The difficult post-pandemic labor market is having an impact on businesses across industries from retail and hospitality to manufacturing and distribution. While there is high demand
  • Benj Cohen
  • August 19, 2021
safety
Distribution Industry Analysis

How Arbill Built Its Product & Service Strategy on an Unwavering Foundation of Safety First

Safety distributor Arbill has developed a deep set of services, including training and compliance, as well as a private-label product line to meet customers’
  • Ian Heller
  • August 16, 2021
business person carrying a box with their belongings
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: The Death of the Distributor Sales Rep Has Been Greatly Exaggerated (August 12, 2021)

In this episode of Wholesale Change Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein talked about how conversations around the role of the sale rep today need
  • Ian Heller
  • August 12, 2021
Distribution Marketing

Gustave Larson’s Sales Force Transformation & the Distributor’s Focus on the Customer’s Customer

Read how HVAC distributor Gustave Larson has introduced and driven real value from innovative services. Andrew Larson, the long-time CEO and chairman of Gustave Larson, an HVAC
  • Ian Heller
  • August 5, 2021
hand holding phone with holographic shopping carts being projected from the screen
Distribution Sales Strategy

Webinar: 2021 State of Shopping and Buying in Distribution

his free webinar we shared the results of our research on what your customers want in 2021 and beyond.
  • Dean Mueller
  • August 3, 2021
Distributors’ Customers Prefer Manufacturers’ Websites and Search Engines
Digital Strategy

New Study: Distributors’ Customers Prefer Manufacturers’ Websites and Search Engines

Distributors continue to fall behind in building websites that meet their customers’ needs better than other choices, such as search engines and manufacturers’ digital
  • Ian Heller
  • July 27, 2021
PPE gloves, ear coverings, ear plugs, respirator mask
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Arbill Doubled Down on its Safety Focus When the PPE Market Shifted (July 21, 2021)

Take a closer look at how the PPE industry changed overnight when COVID-19 hit last year and the challenges that have come with that,
  • Ian Heller
  • July 21, 2021
Distribution Industry Analysis

What Private Equity Firms Want in a Distributor: A Look Behind the Curtain

Get an insider’s look at how private equity (PE) firms evaluate distribution companies, from people and processes to market opportunities. John Schweig, Chairman of the Board at BlackHawk Industrial and
  • Ian Heller
  • July 16, 2021
business person with tablet looking at holographic data being projected off the screen
Digital Strategy

Webinar: State of Analytics in Distribution

In this webinar, we reveal the results of our survey of distributors on how they’re using analytics now and their plans for leveraging data
  • Robert Kelley
  • July 14, 2021
When It Comes to Tech, You Only Get One Chance for a Great First Impression with Sales Reps
Digital Strategy

When It Comes to Tech, You Only Get One Chance for a Great First Impression with Sales Reps

Distributors must implement a state-of-the-art tech stack to preserve market share, according to Ian Heller in the NAW research report, “Strategic Change During Disruption:
  • Mark Heneine
  • July 6, 2021
dollar sign made out of code
Digital Strategy

Webinar: 10X Tech Stack: 3 Technologies That Supercharge Your Procurement-to-Payment Cycle

In this webinar, Jonathan Bein and Rob Kelley present technologies that dramatically shorten the time from procurement to payment while reducing errors, rework and
  • Robert Kelley
  • June 30, 2021
Why Frank Hurtte Believes Fee-Based Services Are Do-or-Die for Distributors
Distribution Marketing

Why Frank Hurtte Believes Fee-Based Services Are Do-or-Die for Distributors

In his book, The Distributor’s Fee Based Services Manifesto: Why You Need to Consider Charging for Your Services, distribution expert Frank Hurtte argues that distributors face a tough challenge. As market
  • Ian Heller
  • June 24, 2021
Wholesale Change: How Gustave Larson Helps Their Customers Succeed (June 23, 2021)
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Gustave Larson Helps Their Customers Succeed (June 23, 2021)

Andrew Larson talks about how Gustave Larson has evolved its sales force to make it as easy as possible for customers to interact with
  • Ian Heller
  • June 23, 2021
Distributors Need New Sales Toolkits Post-Pandemic
Digital Strategy

Distributors Need New Sales Toolkits Post-Pandemic

COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across the nation, and it feels like we are “returning to normal.”    But some of the changes brought on by the
  • Benj Cohen
  • June 18, 2021
Will Amazon Survive the Wrath of Lina Khan?
Distribution Industry Analysis

Will Amazon Survive the Wrath of Khan?

Amazon critic Lina Khan, who has upended antitrust thinking, is the new FTC Chair.
  • Ian Heller
  • June 16, 2021
How to Select, Sell and Deliver the Right Value-Added Services for Your Business
Distribution Marketing

How to Select, Sell and Deliver the Right Value-Added Services for Your Business

It is increasingly important for distributors to add value and differentiate themselves from the competition. Peter Neuberger, CEO of United Performance Metals, shared with
  • Ian Heller
  • June 15, 2021
2021 State of Technology in Distribution: Automating the Customer Journey
Digital Strategy

2021 State of Technology in Distribution: Automating the Customer Journey

Distribution Strategy Group conducted a survey and other primary research about how distributors anticipate ongoing, rapidly changing technologies will affect them, and how and
  • Robert Kelley
  • June 11, 2021
Wholesale Change: How Private Equity Leaders Evaluate Distributors (June 9, 2021)
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Private Equity Leaders Evaluate Distributors (June 9, 2021)

John Schweig, Chairman of the Board at BlackHawk Industrial and Operating Partner at private equity firm Snow Phipps, joined hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan
  • Ian Heller
  • June 9, 2021
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