Systemax has succeeded during the pandemic by building on the "Accelerating the Customer Experience" strategy it introduced last year and creating "permanency within the pandemic category," CEO Barry Litwin says. The distributor has also introduced new customers to other products besides pandemic-related purchases.

Staples is seeking proposals from suppliers of work-at-home products and services and will choose an unspecified number to participate in a virtual event with corporate buyers in February. The event is being run by the company's Staples Connect program.

Some distributors can increase sales by creating individual e-commerce marketplaces or teaming up with others to launch them, write Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein of Distribution Strategy Group. They note that distributors with the greatest variety of inventory are more likely to be successful.

Installment-payment services such as Quadpay, Afterpay and Klarna can drive customers to merchant websites, says Ralph Andretta of credit-card company Alliance Data Systems Corp. Consumer advocates and regulators have started scrutinizing the companies, which make money when merchants pay a percentage of each sale or when consumers rack up late fees.

The B2B Institute's Peter Weinberg spoke at The Drum's online B2B World Fest conference about why it's necessary for business-to-business marketers to focus on long-term brand building. As prospects increasingly conduct their own online research, it is "unnecessary to serve all of this product messaging," he said, adding, "Instead, it's just about using brand advertising to get into the consideration set."

Business-to-business marketers should employ automation to more effectively score leads based on their online behavior and to identify the most successful nurturing tactics, Anthony Gaenzle writes. Gaenzle also explains how automation can improve social, email and website marketing.

Long-term plans for technology, localized supply chains and the ability to quickly pivot production have helped companies such as furniture maker Ethan Allen and pizza maker Domino's survive the pandemic, write Jennifer Pellet and Dale Buss. "If our focus was three to five years, like most companies, we would do like everyone else and go after higher margins by buying products made in East Asia," says Ethan Allen CEO Farooq Kathwari.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says his company is different because it thinks three years ahead and is unafraid to escalate "one-way," irreversible decisions to the highest levels, which requires one party to eventually "disagree and commit" to the plan. "And it's often the case that the more senior person should disagree and commit," Bezos writes.

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.

It's time to find out about "New Technology Frontiers for Distributors: Sizing Up Marketplaces and Becoming Digital Companies." NAW offers two free resources to get you in the know. Download NAW's just-released free 23-page research report and then watch our free webinar on demand. 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? Get your answers! Sponsored by Unilog, SAP, Mirakl.

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.