WESCO on Monday announced it finalized the $4.5 billion acquisition of Anixter, resulting in a combined company that's about 70% larger than its nearest competitor among electrical distributors. WESCO has said it expects $200 million in cost savings from the combination.
Walmart's self-driving vehicle partner, Gatik, focuses on delivering groceries from massive distribution centers to smaller warehouses, the journey it calls the "middle mile." The company partnered with Walmart in 2019 and the vehicles are now running seven days a week, Gatik CEO and co-founder Gautam Narang said.
Distributors can serve customers during the coronavirus pandemic by introducing e-commerce sites and adding self-service features, writes Andrew Walker, CEO of Shift7 Digital. Such basic e-commerce sites "should be your core products, your top products -- the mission critical products that are highly relevant in the current market," he writes.
Over 60% of marketers say their work has become more important because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to The CMO Survey. Many have dedicated themselves to improving customer digital interfaces, changing business models and adding offerings and partnerships.
Workplace bullies must be dealt with, and that can include confrontation but also recording each incident, talking with other victims and reporting the bullying to HR, writes Paul LaRue. "Whenever you confront a legitimate bully or abusive individual and take a stand for what's right and yourself, you will always do the right thing," he writes.
According to NAW Blog guest blogger Benj Cohen, "The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the relationship between distributors and customers. Distributors' sales processes have changed as travel and onsite visits have become all but impossible. Customer behavior has shifted within this new environment too. The combination of these factors means that distributors now face a unique and challenging puzzle: They must figure out how to make personalized sales without actually having personal contact with customers." Read his post.
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.
