Alibaba has added freight procurement and a new payment system to its e-commerce platform for business-to-business customers. The Alibaba Freight option lets shippers select ports, carriers and ocean or airfreight, depending on the market.

Distributor revenue increased by 0.34% in the week of May 25 to 29 compared with the same period last year, according to the Indian River Consulting Group's Pandemic Revenue Index of 10 distributors. The increase is the first in over two months, although Mike Emerson notes that both weeks were shortened by Memorial Day.

Only three distributor deals have taken place in the past couple of months, including Winsupply's April purchase of May Supply, but that will likely change soon, according to Mike Marks and Mike Emerson of Indian River Consulting Group and John Gunderson of MDM Analytics. Companies that are struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic are particularly likely to be acquired, they say.

Drones are increasingly being tested in last-mile delivery, but they also hold potential for warehouse inventory management, port operations and worksite equipment monitoring, writes Chris Cunnane. "[T]he coronavirus pandemic has certainly helped to speed up adoption and use cases for aerial fleets," Cunnane writes.

Sales managers must often try to think like their competitors to identify useful retention and growth strategies, writes Colleen Francis. Consider the weaknesses your competitors see when they analyze your business and what marketing techniques they may try to sway customers toward their offerings, Francis writes.

Employers should reevaluate their benefits package to make sure it lines up with the priorities of a post-pandemic world, writes Emily Muhoberac, chief operations officer of Sapper Consulting. Muhoberac details three benefits that will be critical for recruiting and retaining workers, including comprehensive health care and student-loan reimbursements.

Subscribe to the new NAW Podcast Series: INNOVATE TO DOMINATE, sponsored by PROS so you don't miss a single episode. In episode 1, listeners will learn about INNOVATE TO DOMINATE and what it means in the context of COVID-19. This podcast series is centered around the findings in NAW's "Innovate to Dominate: The 12th Edition in the Facing the Forces of Change Series," which helps distributors connect the dots between the forces of change, the things that are reshaping how customers buy, and how businesses operate.

Did you miss the May 28 webinar with Alan Beaulieu: "Distribution Post COVID-19 Outlook"? It's not too late for you to join the hundreds who benefitted from Alan's forecast for the short-, mid- and long-term. The webinar recording and slide deck are available now for a short time for purchase. Order here and watch on demand as your convenience!