Lawson Products is focusing on personal service as it upgrades its e-commerce offerings, says Chief Information Officer Kevin Hoople. "It's important to understand that Lawson is as much a service business as a product business," he says.

MRC Global reported $3 million in first-quarter profit on sales of $794 million, with both figures down compared with a year earlier. US sales declined by 18% to $638 million.

Canadian grocer Sobeys has launched its first Ocado-powered customer fulfillment center in Ontario. Kroger is also in partnership with the British online supermarket and plans to build 20 such fulfillment centers, one of which is under construction in Ohio, and others are planned for Florida, Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin and the mid-Atlantic region.

Distributors should consider maintaining pandemic-influenced business practices such as temperature checks, curbside pickup and use of personal protective equipment even after the coronavirus crisis passes, writes Mike Hockett. "Beyond distribution product-flow practices, now is the time distributors should re-examine what level of inventory should be maintained year-round," he writes.

The four Ps of marketing -- product, place, price and promotion -- should be readjusted by business-to-business marketers in light of the pandemic, writes Launch Marketing's Jeff Raymond. For example, reassess products to ensure your company is focusing on exactly what your customers need right now and reconsider the best places to meet prospects by providing virtual alternatives, chat support and digital content, he recommends.

Storytelling, educational content and industry research are some of the tactics business-to-business marketers should be using in email marketing during the pandemic, Johannes Rastas writes. He recommends sticking to a consistent publishing schedule, keeping emails concise and grabbing attention with headlines that feature important data or social proof.

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" is a quote attributed to Mike Tyson, and the pandemic is the ultimate example of the best-laid plans being disrupted, writes Scott Eblin. Instead of trying to stick to the plan, rethink your activities and stop doing things that are unproductive or draining, like putting every call on video or being sedentary.

NAW will partner again with NAW Senior Economic Advisor Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics to produce a second critical economic forecast webinar. Are we at or near the general economic bottom? What is happening in various wholesale distribution market segments? What are the stock market and interest rates doing now and in the near term? "Distribution Post COVID-19 Outlook" will be Thursday, May 28, 3 to 4:30 p.m. EDT. Seats are limited, so purchase yours here.

Allow your customers to pay instantly upon delivery or curbside at pick-up and give your back-office team remote visibility into cashless payments. Learn how mobile payment acceptance solutions available through NAW and Unified Payments Group can help protect your revenue and your team. Contact the payment experts at (888) 440-0117.