Distributors have stepped up to get the coronavirus vaccine to people who need it, "but there's more we can do," says Eric Hoplin, CEO of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. He notes that distributors have relationships in the health care sector that can be further leveraged, and "it's important to bring the rest of the supply chain on."

Walmart has opened its third-party e-commerce marketplace to international companies and dropped a requirement that they be registered in the US. It's the latest move in the retailer's ongoing efforts to stay competitive with Amazon, and Walmart said it will continue to carefully vet all third-party sellers on its platform.

Distributors can make e-commerce sites more customer-friendly by using an attribution taxonomy to manage product data and facilitate product comparisons, among other steps, writes Chantal Schweizer of Earley Information Science.

Better access to real-time data could make truck driving easier and even help with recruitment and retention, says Avi Geller, founder and CEO of Maven Machines. Workflow software can also help fleets see how drivers are performing and make adjustments as needed.

William Tyree, CMO at ringDNA, talks about why the sales engagement platform acquired a podcast and what podcasts can offer business-to-business marketers. "I felt like it was an acquisition of a community, not just a podcast," Tyree said, noting, "I think the entertaining part is often what gets left by the wayside in b-to-b, so we wanted to solve some of that."

Off-invoice discounts can add up quickly for industrial companies, costing them over 6% of revenue on average, according to analysis performed by Bain & Co. and Pricefx. "Unlike rebates or loyalty programs, which at least purport to elicit favorable customer behaviors, free freight often earns little in return," the authors write.

Leaders who seek to understand people's uniqueness, emotions, needs and potential will still face tough choices, but they're on the path to success, Wally Bock writes. He lists 10 things that everyone has in common in the workplace.

Hiring, promotions, and talent development are just a few aspects of work where ageism is common, in part because of cultural defaults, writes Bonnie Marcus, who wrote a book about working women older than age 50. Among the myths disproved by research, she writes, are that "people over 50 aren't promotable, don't have the energy or stamina to work, or can't learn new skills."

According to guest blogger Benj Cohen of Proton.ai, "You may think that advertising is reserved for the Amazons and the Facebooks of the world. But with excellent AI-powered search and product-recommendation functions, distributors can gain the kind of customer attention that manufacturers are willing to pay for." Read his blog post.

During this 90-minute open discussion, you'll exchange ideas with a trusted network of C-suite peers in distribution. Companies belonging to this community are from firms that exceed $1 billion in annual sales. There is no formal agenda or speakers -- just you and more than a dozen of your friends in distribution discussing today's pressing issues. Last year, participants shared how they were protecting their employees during the pandemic and more. Don't miss this opportunity. Register today!

In this free NAW webinar on April 6, at 2 p.m. Eastern, Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein will evaluate the marketplace strategic options available to distributors, such as becoming a third-party seller on a merchant-owned marketplace, becoming a third-party seller on a marketplace not owned by a merchant, building your own marketplace, the imperative for an industry-owned marketplace, and opting out of marketplaces. Register now! Check out the full Adding Value in a Post-Pandemic World series! Sponsored by Oracle Netsuite.