Indian River Consulting Group's Pandemic Revenue Index of 12 companies rose by 2.6% for the week of Aug. 24 to 28. This is the third consecutive weekly increase for the index.

Southeastern Grocers has agreed to sell 23 of its Bi-Lo and Harveys stores in Georgia and South Carolina to Alex Lee, a grocery wholesale distributor and retailer, and independent operator B&T Foods. Although financial arrangements weren't released, the deal is expected to close within two months and calls for B&T to acquire one Harveys and two Bi-Lo sites, while Alex Lee will buy 20 Bi-Lo stores.

Different operational models are being deployed by providers of autonomous trucking technology to get it on the road and realize the potential benefits. Some companies are testing prototypes, while others are seeking to have their technology used with existing truck operations.

Nearly a third of business-to-business buyers say they will make fewer online purchases from international suppliers in 2021, according to a Digital Commerce 360 survey. The coronavirus pandemic has led many online purchasers to rely more on domestic suppliers, the survey found.

As shopping habits change during the pandemic, marketers have the opportunity to gain the loyalty of new customers, writes Marc Vermut. To accomplish this, first identify the new customers, estimate their value and find ways to retarget customers that show a high propensity for conversion, Vermut suggests.

To help create consistently high quality content, Darcy Schuller reminds content marketers to keep their creations creative, relevant, authentic, valuable and engaging. As the amount of available content has surpassed a consumable amount for audiences, it's important for marketers to make content that their audiences will want, she writes.

Make sure you have a trusted adviser or a team that will question your thinking and decisions, especially if they are based on emotions or intuition, writes Alaina Love. "As a leader, you may still be able to 'trust your gut,' but doing so is likely to yield better outcomes when your feelings-based choices are challenged by a trusted 'last person in the room.' "

Show your customers you value them by learning about their wants and needs, being honest and transparent, rewarding their loyalty and owning up to mistakes, writes Gordon Tredgold. "Admitting to your mistakes is incredibly difficult, especially if you have a lot of eyes on you, but the temporary humiliation you'll face is much better than the loss of customer loyalty," he writes.

Old school distribution is about stocking inventory, taking orders and serving demand. New school distribution is about innovating through customer services and working side-by-side with customers in the real world. The future of distribution is about solving problems in your customer's business -- often before your customer even knows a problem exists. Innovate to Dominate provides breakthrough ideas, lessons from leading distributors who are innovating and inspiration to help you lead your customers into the future and sustain your competitive advantage.

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 that exceed $1 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.

NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow Mark Dancer says he's learned from many distributor leaders that a company's culture is determined not only by its values, but by the particular employee behaviors that are most aligned with achieving its ideals. A positive, well-managed culture will drive productivity, reinforce customer experiences and enable innovations. A negative culture, however, can kill strategic initiatives and demolish returns on investment. Read his blog post.