The US Commerce Department revised July's wholesale inventory growth to 0.2%, down from the initially estimated 0.3% amid a significant rebound in sales, which rose 1.1%, bringing speculation over whether inventory investment will play a part in third-quarter economic growth. Excluding autos, wholesale inventories grew 0.1% and sales at wholesalers rose 1.1% after dropping 0.3% in June.

AI tools can optimize contracts and special price agreements for distributors and manufacturers, addressing challenges like cost increases and inactive customers, writes David Bauders, CEO of SPARXiQ. By scanning CSP records and suggesting changes, AI can enhance sales and profitability, Bauders writes.

FedEx has invested in Nimble, which it described as an "AI robotics and autonomous e-commerce fulfillment technology company" in an effort to boost its Fulfillment unit, which helps small and medium-sized businesses to fill orders and manage inventory. "This collaboration will help enable FedEx to leverage Nimble's fast and cost-effective fulfillment centers, powered by our next-generation intelligent general purpose warehouse robots and AI technology," said Simon Kalouche, founder and CEO of Nimble.

Specialty building materials distributor US LBM is expanding its Dallas-Fort Worth footprint by acquiring Nix Door and Hardware, which provides custom residential and commercial building products and services. This move strengthens US LBM's Texas Building Supply division, which already serves multiple Texas markets, and adds to its national network of over 450 locations.

International Longshoremen's Association delegates have unanimously endorsed a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports if a new contract with the United States Maritime Alliance is not reached by Oct. 1, which would have significant economic repercussions. The current agreement, expiring Sept. 30, includes major US container ports crucial for holiday imports.

Distributors need to dispel four common myths that hinder many in the sector from adopting AI and gaining increased productivity and competitiveness, writes Benj Cohen, founder of Proton.ai. AI will not replace jobs, does not require perfect data, many tools already being used have AI and distributors can use low-lift AI projects to get themselves started in a short amount of time, making the technology attainable for most distributors, Cohen writes.

The logistics industry continued its growth in August, although at a slightly slower pace than in July, according to the latest Logistics Manager's Index report. The LMI reading was 56.4, down from 56.6 in July, marking nine months of consecutive growth, and inventory levels saw a notable increase, breaking a three-month contraction streak, suggesting a return to traditional seasonality patterns.

Employees assisted by AI completed tasks 25% faster and produced work that was 40% higher in quality compared with workers who didn't use the technology, according to a Boston Consulting Group survey, and the technology can free up marketers to spend more time being creative and developing new ideas from data, writes Fabrice Beaulieu, chief marketing officer for Reckitt. "We need to establish ways to bring the best out of machines and humans working together, rather than focusing on how one can outperform the other," Beaulieu adds.

While 80% of chief marketing officers expect positive results from AI investments, at least 30% of generative AI projects will not reach fruition due to a lack of ongoing investment and time resource, Gartner reports. Experts discuss why CMOs have unrealistic investment expectations about the technology, why more education about AI's capabilities is needed and why quality first-party data and internal buy-in are essential for success.

Effective coaching involves a collaborative process between the coach and salesperson, focusing on setting and achieving goals through problem-solving and critical thinking, writes David Brock. "Regardless, what you seek in being coached, make sure that you are engaged in the coaching process and not just going through the motions," Brock writes.

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