Recent subtle changes to Amazon's algorithm give greater weight to products that derive most of their traffic from social sites, blogs and other non-Amazon sites. The changes are designed to help Amazon maintain high search rankings, as retailers including Walmart and Target grow more competitive in the e-commerce space.

US businesses will increasingly look to reshoring and enhanced automation to decrease their dependency on China, according to Sarah Rathke, a partner at law firm Squire Patton Boggs. Contributing factors include geopolitical issues, new US leadership and policies, and the upcoming Lunar New Year, which stalls trade annually.

Ransomware attacks increased last year and hackers' tactics changed, states Risk Based Security's annual analysis of security breaches. "The attackers really seem to be moving away from going after credit card data and other personally identifiable data and going straight for the extortion schemes to monetize their access," RBS executive Inga Goddijn says.

Established business-to-business companies must leverage data to fend off competition from startup competitors, and can start by using data to identify new revenue opportunities emerging from the digital shift accelerated by the pandemic, write five McKinsey experts. They explain how B2B brands can make the most of owned, second- and third-party data, and describe the contributing factors to success of leadership, talent management and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Virtual sales success is all about preparation, as salespeople must provide clients with the resources and data they need before meetings take place in order to achieve ideal outcomes, writes Ryan Estis. Don't overlook the value of professional production elements such as proper lighting and audio when making virtual presentations, Estis adds.

Companies that pivoted during the pandemic should not revert to old practices after this crisis ends, write PwC's Blair Sheppard and Kevin Burrowes. They offer seven elements for faster decision-making, including identifying critical issues and considering the larger context and unexpected impact of decisions.

Sooner or later, most people wind up working with someone they dislike, but working effectively requires getting along with others. Certain steps can help you reframe the issue and make a plan to move forward.

U.S. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska will join us at the NAW Digital Summit on Wednesday, Jan. 27, for an exciting conversation about the current political climate in Washington, the future of the Republican Party and what's ahead for Congress. You won't want to miss this exclusive opportunity to hear from one of the leading voices in Washington! Still time to join us on Jan. 27 and 28. Register your team today!

NAW has just completed its 7-part series, How Technology Will Transform Wholesale Distribution -- 7 free research reports and 7 free webinars, with Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein of Distribution Strategy Group. Based on new research conducted with wholesaler-distributors, manufacturers and distributor customers, this series provides the intelligence you need to formulate new strategies for 2021 and ensure that your company thrives through this era of technology disruption and transformation. If you missed any part of this series, you can catch up now.

NAW shares thought leadership each week in the NAW Blog "Distributing Ideas." NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellows, authors and guest bloggers discuss today's critical issues specific to wholesale distribution. Catch up on blog posts here. Better yet, subscribe here and we'll deliver a new post each week straight to your inbox.