Amazon logistics chief Dave Clark will become CEO of Amazon's consumer business in early 2021, replacing Jeff Wilke, who will retire after more than 20 years at the company. The Worldwide Consumer unit includes Amazon's e-commerce operations.
Ace Hardware had a 35.3% year-over-year increase in same-store sales and a 493% increase in e-commerce revenue during the second quarter, as the coronavirus pandemic led customers to shop online and buy home improvement products. Quarterly profit of $139.1 million was more than double the year-ago figure.
Alibaba posted overall revenue growth of nearly 35% in its fiscal first quarter, reaching $22.2 billion, with profit of $6.88 billion. Revenue from cloud services, which are used by online sellers, increased almost 60%.
Next Level Application Testing Now more than ever, retailers must ensure flawless experiences for their customers. Organizations must improve their customers' experience and drive better relationships with their audience across points of contact. Hear from testing experts how you can improve and accelerate your testing program using automation, crowdtesting and Artificial Intelligence in this on-demand webinar.
Large distributors can exploit e-commerce demand by helping small and midsized distributors discover suitable e-commerce platforms, selling on retailers' e-commerce sites and offering business customers superior software-as-a-service tools, writes Alex Moazed of Applico. "Which [strategies] may make sense will depend on your positioning in the market and the competitive and customer dynamics in your industry," he writes.
Distributors need to properly train their salespeople in the hybrid model of online and in-person sales that has taken hold during the pandemic, says SalesLeadership President Colleen Stanley. The new reality could require a reassessment of top clients and teaching new skills to field sales staff, she says.
It's never in the interest of salespeople to talk about their company's competitors, since they likely don't understand the other company's offerings well enough to take a position on them, writes David Brock. In addition, trashing the competition when a client is considering them can be taken as questioning the client's judgment and thought process, Brock writes.
Change management runs into trouble when people fail to realize that stability and change go hand in hand rather than being opposed, writes Barry Johnson. He offers a five-step process based off the Polarity Map concept to help organizations navigate such change resistance in a productive way.
Distributors: NAW is working with Distribution Strategy Group to get input from distributors' customers on a range of disruptive technologies: AI, 3D Printing, blockchain and more. Here is how you can help: Please send a brief survey to your customers -- we want input directly from purchasing professionals and other business buyers. We need to complete this research as quickly as possible, so please email your customers ASAP. You may access the NAW survey link here, and we've also included some text you can use to communicate with your customers. Thank you!
Designed for C-suite executives, these virtual roundtables provide actionable strategies that will help put your COVID-19 recovery plan in place! Companies belonging to this community are from distribution firms between $100 million and up to a billion in annual sales. You'll engage in robust conversations with your peers and hear from industry experts on topics to help your business transition to the new normal -- all in the comfort of your own office/home! Register today.
The card brand's fee increases for 2020 and 2021 pose significant threats to wholesaler-distributors' already thin margins. Automated, compliant surcharge technology for B2B credit card acceptance passes processing fees on to customers who choose the convenience of paying with cards. Learn how in the on-demand webinar from Unified Payments and NAW.
