Custom B2B, Distributor Portal, EDI-integration & More
Top 10 Benefits of a Manufacturing & Distribution eCommerce Platform
Building a robust Manufacturing & Distribution eCommerce platform has become increasingly important to stay competitive in today’s digital markets. Although many companies have become successful using traditional wholesale practices, there are new technologies, buyers with different demands and a need for faster communications that require a platform that offers multiple user services and ordering options. Millennials have changed the face of purchasing and marketing, and many successful sellers for the next 30 or 40 years will be those who embrace advanced and current technologies to deliver goods and services to those that have grown up in a digital world. It’s come to the point where even if you’ve done business successfully the same way for decades, the next generation of buyers has not, and will not want to deal with outdated and inconvenient purchasing processes. There are too many other options online for them to switch to. Customers also demand more customizations, special pricing and the ability to order from other manufacturers from marketplace platforms of curated products that are industry-specific.
Both manufacturers and distributors must collaborate with a larger group of stakeholders, which include buying committees, social media connections, specialty vendors and key organizations in the supply chain. Each of these groups wants access to information 24/7, and they want to work more closely with manufacturers and distributors through responsive platform features instead of playing complex games of phone-and-message tag. Data and technology have transformed almost every part of everyday life, and to ignore that reality--just because that’s the way a company has operated for 100 years--is shortsighted and risky. Established customers die, relocate, find new suppliers and choose new iterations of products. Barriers to entry and commercialization are rapidly falling because of leaner processes and new technologies like additive manufacturing eCommerce integration. These factors keep attrition rates high, so it’s essential to replace lost business with new sales based on modern marketing practices.