AmerisourceBergen and McKesson are among the pharmaceutical companies participating in The MediLedger Project, which aims to use blockchain to meet Drug Supply Chain Security Act regulations. The MediLedger blockchain, which reduces errors while helping wholesalers manage product and manufacturer information, should be ready for user testing next month, said Heather Zenk of AmerisourceBergen.

Watsco sold $1.2 billion online in 2018, or 26.4% of overall revenue, through increased online inventory and investments in areas such as order fulfillment functionality and supply chain optimization. Watsco also made greater use of mobile apps while improving analytics and customer personalization features.

American Tire Distributors is a "people-first company" that encourages employees to learn and grow, says Rebecca Sinclair, chief people and communications officer. ATD's spark training tool uses artificial intelligence, video, games and questions to improve knowledge retention.

Just 54% of shippers surveyed by DC Velocity and ARC Advisory Group had first-tender acceptance rates exceeding 90%. Improved communication and lead time are two ways to overcome a reputation as a difficult procurement negotiator, experts say.

Nearly three-fourths of power transmission distributors and manufacturers say the talent pool fails to meet their needs, according to a Power Transmission Distributors Association Foundation survey. Just 26% of distributors said they could find enough qualified candidates.

Marketing Insider Group CEO Michael Brenner discusses why empathy is the key to better business-to-business content marketing. "Content marketing is about meeting the needs of prospects who don't already feel that they have a relationship with you," he says, adding, "When you start to engage them and build that relationship, that leads to better financial outcomes."

Business-to-business marketers discuss how their social strategies have evolved, including Constant Contact's Hannah Budreski who notes the rise in customers using direct messaging on platforms such as Facebook Messenger to interact with the brand. Toast's Kelly Esten discusses the restaurant management platform's Food for Thought Facebook community and says, "We're reaching restauranteurs wherever they are, whether it is on Facebook, Instagram or via text messages."

Corporate communication needs to have a consistent voice that can be tailored to the audience while remaining inspirational, respectful and honest, writes Jaime Cox. "Adhering to a universal style guide means that -- in theory -- anyone can write for corporate communications, and people will take your messages more seriously," she writes.

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