The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors wrote to Vice President Mike Pence last month after the administration suggested manufacturers ship coronavirus-related products directly to end users instead of through distributor supply chains. NAW has also advised member companies on federal guidelines regarding essential companies, including a template that companies can send to state governments to self-identify as essential, says NAW Chief Government Relations Officer Jade West.

C&S Wholesale Grocers and Sysco have joined to provide temporary jobs to some Sysco warehouse and delivery workers idled by the coronavirus outbreak. The new partnership is also aimed at helping to get more food to New York, the state hit hardest by the virus, and Sysco will continue paying its employees while they work at C&S.

Grocery chains are adapting to increased demand related to the coronavirus pandemic, and "inbound shipments are exceeding the outbound," says Chris Testa, president and chief marketing officer at United Natural Foods. Meanwhile, online ordering has become central to the fulfillment process as customers expect faster pickup and delivery, said Hy-Vee CEO Randy Edeker.

Electronic data interchange systems have various functions, including purchase orders, advance ship notices and remittance, that can be useful to distributors dealing with disruption, writes Tom Guzik, director of digital integration services at IDEA.

Around 80% of business-to-business buyers were concerned about the possibility of a recession this year when asked the question last November, per Avionos. Jillian Ryan explores how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated these fears and what business-to-business marketers can do in the downtime to instill trust, including auditing campaigns to ensure all messaging offers value and, if possible, communicating what their company is doing to help and support customers during the crisis.

Be consistent in the frequency in which internal communications discuss the coronavirus, and don't forget to continue talking about organizational values and ongoing business priorities, writes Rachel Miller. "Review your channels matrix and determine where the gaps are if your people's working patterns or locations have changed," she adds.

In these disruptive times, you need to know what the financial outlook is for your business in the short, mid and long term. Join NAW and Alan Beaulieu, NAW Senior Economic Advisor, for this critical economic outlook webinar, "Distribution Industry: Navigating the Crisis," today, April 9, at 3 p.m. EDT. Alan will answer your questions during the last 30 minutes of this 90-minute webinar. Seats are limited, so purchase your seat today!

The card brands' largest fee increase in more than a decade threatens to wipe out wholesale distribution's already thin margins. Credit card acceptance solutions with surcharge technology pass processing fees on to customers who choose the convenience of paying with cards. Learn how in the on-demand webinar from NAW and Trusted Partner Unified.