Grainger, Fastenal and MSC Industrial Supply have increased sales of safety, janitorial and personal protective equipment products during the pandemic. "While we don't know how this will progress, we do feel good about our ability to help customers weather the storm regardless of how the pandemic evolves," Grainger CEO D.G. Macpherson said last week.

E-commerce accounted for about one-third of all Watsco sales during the most recent quarter, in part because the company has emphasized its mobile app and provided pickup locations for online orders. "Our contractors' fulfillment activities, which we refer to as curbside or dockside pickup, expanded to more locations and soon will include contactless payment functionality," says CEO Albert Nahmad.

Love's, Pilot and other leading truck stop operators this week will begin requiring truck drivers to wear face masks at over 1,500 fuel and food stops across the US to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Love's and Pilot will sell masks for truckers who need them.

Distributors can improve cash flow by reducing carrying costs for inventory, such as rent, insurance and utilities, writes eTurns CEO Rock Rockwell. He lists four steps to follow, including using real-time forecasting to limit inaccurate stocking.

Distributors can generate returns on supplier marketing co-op funds by being strategic in how they manage spending, product mix, marketing and purchasing, write Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein of Distribution Strategy Group. Internal ranking of suppliers and the use of strategic purchasing agreements are among the other tactics they suggest.

Amanda Davis outlines a range of recent research that demonstrates how the pandemic is shifting business-to-business engagement and buying online with an increased focus on self-led experiences from prospects who want companies to show an understanding of their individual situations. She advises B2B marketers to bring a human element to digital customer experiences and to prioritize transparency, personalization, responsiveness and accessibility.

Join NAW and Ian Heller for "The Coming Storm of Converging Technologies" webinar today, July 28, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Ian will provide an overview of current and upcoming technology disruption that is driven by new, advanced technologies and outside entrants. He will discuss how these technologies will change customer expectations and how distributors should change to meet them. Traditional distributors must find new ways to compete and non-traditional ways of adding value. Also download "The Coming Storm of Converging Technologies" Research Report. Sponsored by Unilog and SAP.

In his NAW blog post, Mark Dancer writes, "In many ways, the impact of digital transformation and disruption on the retail industry is ahead of similar changes happening in distribution. Distributors can learn from retail and then upgrade their strategies and operational plans to be better prepared for changes that are certain to come. Distributors that fail to learn from retail's transformation risk being blindsided by predictable changes that will come to distribution." Read his post.

Are you well-informed about different best practices and knowledge in our industry? If not, NAW's Top 10 E-book List can help get you up-to-speed quickly so you and your business can stay competitive in these challenging times.