The Indian River Pandemic Revenue Index of 10 distributors fell by 8.51% for the week of June 8-12, compared with a 1.39% decline the previous week. "The swings in business this week were very large -- much larger than what we've typically seen previously," writes Mike Emerson of Indian River Consulting Group.

Prices for beef, pork and bacon are falling back to their normal levels after increasing because of the coronavirus pandemic, says Ted Keys, a territory manager with US Foods. He added that the meat supply has held despite expectations that shortages would occur.

Forty-six percent of distributors responding to an Industrial Distribution survey had increased sales over the past year, compared with 62% last year, while nearly one-third said sales declined. Supplier relationships worsened for 19% of distributors in this year's survey than in 2019, against 11% in a previous survey.

Distributors responding well to the coronavirus pandemic are focusing on revenue, supplier analysis, inventory optimization and social distancing, say Emma Vas and Mark Jensen of Epicor. The pandemic has also shifted sales volume to delivery from pickup, Vas says.

Jacqueline Dooley provides five examples of how artificial intelligence is improving business-to-business marketing, such as the use of technology to power predictive analytics and automate marketing processes. She explores how AI is employed by Hootsuite to manage social campaigns, and how Hubspot and Salesforce Einstein help marketers manage customer relationships.

Figuring out what works in this new normal requires focus, feeling uncomfortable and understanding your purpose, write Karin Hurt and David Dye. "You'll restore your confidence and energy when you can say, 'The world is changing, but this is who we are and this is why we're here,' " they write.

Distributors have made progress in navigating through this unprecedented disruption, but much more is needed. In this live webinar, we will follow up with Michael DeCata, President and CEO of Lawson Products, to hear how he is navigating through COVID-19 and how it has accelerated his plans around innovation. Mark Dancer, author of NAW's "Innovate to Dominate," and Richard Blatcher of PROS will explore with Mike how distributors must implement an "innovation ecosystem" to compete in the new normal. Register today! Sponsored by PROS.

NAW Institute Author Pradip Krishnadevarajan in his first NAW Blog post writes, "Each of your customers brings value to your business. Some already provide a considerably high value that your business relies on, while others have significant potential that you haven't fully tapped. Then there are the customers who cost more to serve than they provide in value. The question is: Do you know which customer is which? And are you adjusting your approach accordingly?" Read his post.