Distributors that want to succeed in e-commerce have to develop and adapt quickly, and that requires having the right talent on board, says Faisal Hussain, vice president of e-commerce and product management at MSC Industrial Supply. He recommends developing digital talent by using "the core principles of transformation: L.E.A.D (Learn, Engage, Adapt and Disrupt)."

Henry Schein reported first-quarter profit of $166 million on revenue of $2.92 billion, with both figures higher than year-ago results.

The consumer market for electric vehicles has heated up, but EVs are also in demand in the B2B commercial vehicle industry. John Walsh, the CEO and founder of Endera, says the next decade will be big for companies that produce electric commercial vehicles, providing "an ocean of opportunity."

Trucking companies, manufacturers and other businesses along the supply chain expect the lack of freight capacity to keep driving up rates and shortages of computer chips and truck drivers to continue, even as the economy rebounds. "I don't think that you're going to see any capacity relief coming in 2021," says Derek Leathers, CEO of carrier Werner Enterprises.

B2B marketers can capitalize on search marketing by having a strong foundation in search engine optimization and search engine marketing, using paid search and A/B testing, creating quality content and incorporating social media, writes Mo Awad, vice president of search at MeritB2B. "Ultimately, A+ search strategy in 2021 is about creating that same welcoming, communicative, and helpful environment that marketers have been perfecting for so many years in person and on the phone," he writes.

Salespeople are suited to help customers with complex buying decisions, while digital tools are better at a hands-off experience and handling simpler purchases, industry experts say. "I think it's really about the journey, and I think the human and the machine are going to be supporting each other all the way through," said Brian Beck, CEO of Beck Ecommerce.

User manuals can be helpful as literal, written-down guides for how your co-workers or reports can understand your values, work style, preferred forms of communication and how they can help you, writes RadReads founder Khe Hy. Such a manual can "deepen trust, eliminate unnecessary conflict and -- most importantly -- [you'll] spend less time worrying about things outside of your control," Hy writes.

Please help NAW and participate by May 10 in a 5- to 7-minute survey, "Post-Pandemic Leadership Strategies for Distributors," conducted by Distribution Strategy Group. Your participation in this completely confidential survey will make you eligible for a chance to win one of five $100 gift cards. Join with hundreds of other distribution executives in ensuring that the industry learns as much as possible from the unique experiences of 2020 and 2021. Please make your voice be heard. Take the NAW survey.

It's decision time: If you plan to attend or send your leaders, please register by May 6. This program is not a full 2-week commitment of time. Rather, this virtual course will allow your leaders to conduct their day job and expand their skills and knowledge at the same time. No missed work and no travel time. Learn how other distributors operate, solve problems and drive solutions. This course builds competence and confidence for everyone from emerging leaders to seasoned veterans. Register your team!

With signs that masks, social distancing and, especially, vaccinations, may put COVID-19 in the rear-view mirror in 2021, we will explore in this third free webinar how the effects of the pandemic will change the distribution industry in the long run. Join NAW and Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein of Distribution Strategy Group on May 19 at 2 p.m. ET. If you can't attend, register anyway and we'll send you the recording. Sponsored by Oracle Netsuite. Register here.