Last fall, Amazon notified vendors that it had set an Aug. 1 deadline for them to make their packaging easier to open and more eco-friendly, or risk fines. It's one of several moves the e-commerce giant has made recently to encourage brands to sell their goods at prices and in amounts that work best with Amazon's systems.

Sally Beauty Holdings tallied $71.2 million in earnings on revenue of $975.2 million for the fiscal third quarter. E-commerce sales were up more than 25%, while store count declined from a year earlier.

Blockchain technology, which stores data in a decentralized manner, will have the most impact when implemented for distributed networks and for situations involving multiple parties, says Stefan Gstettner of Boston Consulting Group. He discusses blockchain's potential use in various types of supply chains, as well as barriers and ways to measure return on investment.

Distributors should consider more than just online sales when planning their digital strategies, writes Rock Rockwell. For example, better service through efficient operations and demand planning to anticipate customer needs can be differentiators.

Sales representatives should make sure to maintain multiple contacts within the businesses they sell to in case their main contact goes on vacation or leaves the company entirely, writes Colleen Francis. "Developing a relationship with multiple individuals allows you to truly build a connection with the organization and not just one point of contact," Francis writes.

When you disagree with the boss, research your concerns and build an argument that appeals to that person's values, writes David Dye. "You're not complaining -- you're making a reasoned business case why your boss should consider another course of action," he writes.

Large Company CEOs, CFOs and operations executives attend these roundtables to benchmark solutions and strategies with distribution executives who are at the top of their game. The companies invited into this community are from distribution firms between $100 million and $1 billion in annual sales. You'll experience the best networking in the industry, share ideas and benchmark with your C-suite peers in distribution -- who aren't competitors. Register today.

The NAW Certificate in Distribution Professional Management Program is ideal for high-potential managers who seek to complement their professional development with a strong emphasis on practical application within the distribution field. There are three separate, one-week sessions held at Texas A&M University, and they focus on Optimizing Distributor Profitability, Generating and Managing Growth, and Distributor Capability Development. These sessions are designed to help companies retain and further develop their key employees. Get all details.

In his latest post for the NAW Blog: Distributing Ideas, Mike Marks, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow, says, "Most distributors think they know their customers, until they actually talk to those customers. That is because wholesaler-distributors often operate in an echo chamber, talking to their sales team, but not to their customers. Distributors in an echo chamber don't measure anything, so they don't understand what is working and what isn't." Read his post.