Amazon Business has launched the Dash Smart Shelf, which uses Wi-Fi to connect to customer accounts via the Amazon Shopping app and reorder office supplies when they are running low. The shelf can also sense weight and is intended for small and midsize businesses.

McKesson earned $577 million in its fiscal second quarter after losing $730 million in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue of $60.81 billion was up from $57.62 billion last year.

Sysco earned $216.9 million in its fiscal first quarter, a decrease from $453.78 million in the year-ago period. Quarterly revenue declined 23%, from $15.30 billion to $11.78 billion.

More distributors will adopt item recognition and voice ordering technology in the next five years, write Jonathan Bein and Ian Heller of Distribution Strategy Group. A survey they conducted found that item recognition, for instance, was considered important by many end customers in industrial and construction.

The pandemic is reshaping business-to-business customer experience, eliminating the line between B2B and its consumer counterpart and spurring the adoption of digital and virtual experiences, Stephanie Overby writes. Overby examines how B2B companies are responding to these and five other trends.

Business-to-business marketers can tap into LinkedIn's new Company Engagement Report to glean advanced metrics related to total engagement, total ad or organic engagement, members targeted and website visits. Principal Product Manager Jae Oh says the tool is designed to help marketers "know they are reaching the people who make and influence business decisions, focus on companies in need of sales and marketing outreach and understand how ads and organic content are resonating with those audiences."

Decision-making can drain our mental and physical energy, but you can reduce this stress by being honest about how you're feeling, getting comfortable with discomfort and declaring the results and emotions you want to create, writes Marlene Chism. "There's a benefit to being self-aware and honest: The more truthful you are about your own emotions, the easier it is to read other people's emotions," she writes.

Join your distributor colleagues for the NAW Digital Summit, Jan. 27-28, a welcoming forum to network, learn and share ideas. We'll have a condensed schedule packed with critical areas of focus that you must consider when bracing for an unpredictable future, including the Annual Economic Update and a Post-Election Analysis with an exploration of what the new landscape means for your business. The always-popular discussion roundtables will help you uncover new ideas about leading in a time of transition. Sign up and we'll notify you when registration is open.

What does it mean to be a "digital distributor" and how should you change your strategy due to the explosive growth of marketplaces like Amazon Business, Google Shopping, Walmart.com and many others? In an upcoming November NAW research report and webinar, Ian Heller will evaluate trends, discuss alternatives and help you understand how to respond to the disruption in the distribution industry. Join us on Nov. 17 for the free webinar and sign up to be notified when this free research report is ready to download.

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.