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June 1, 2021
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Hy-Vee bolsters digital capability with new partnership
(Picture Des Moines/Flickr)
Hy-Vee has kicked off the Hy-Vee Digital Media Network through an expanded partnership with digital media company Quotient. The network will give brands additional access to sales data that can be used to more efficiently track promotions and sales campaigns, as well as help personalize their interactions with Hy-Vee shoppers.
Full Story: Winsight Grocery Business (5/26) 
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Best Buy has begun experimenting with deploying some store employees for same-day delivery of online orders using company vehicles. The retailer also plans to prepare some staffers to perform virtual consultations and other services that will require specializations.
Full Story: Modern Retail (tiered subscription model) (5/27),  Bloomberg (5/27) 
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Investing in technology for business growth
While the process of evaluating your digital technology can seem daunting, you don't have to rip everything out and start from scratch — an incremental approach can be the best one to take. This Epicor whitepaper covers the roles of the cloud and e-commerce in distribution technology, plus get tips to chart your own digital roadmap. Download now
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Operations and Technology
Many distributors are satisfied with enterprise resource planning, email marketing/marketing automation and warehouse management/warehouse execution systems, write Jonathan Bein and Robert Kelley of Distribution Strategy Group. They note that fewer distributors are satisfied with business intelligence/analytics, e-commerce and customer relationship management platforms.
Full Story: Distribution Strategy Group (5/27) 
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Transportation companies are providing dedicated fleet options to shippers looking for efficient, affordable trucking, writes Katerina Jones, vice president of marketing and business development at Fleet Advantage. The advantages of private fleets include newer trucks and more committed drivers, Jones writes.
Full Story: Supermarket News (free registration) (5/26) 
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Sales and Marketing
B2B marketers should embrace creativity in their campaigns, much like B2C marketers do, to stay competitive, raise brand awareness and better serve customers, writes Dana Barakat, vice president of marketing and communications at New York Interconnect. The only thing holding back B2B marketing's creativity is cultural inertia, Barakat writes.
Full Story: Digital Commerce 360 (5/27) 
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Case studies provide business-to-business buyers with coveted social proof and have high engagement potential through storytelling, writes Henny Maltby. Maltby provides a step-by-step guide to creating the most effective case studies and highlights best practice examples.
Full Story: Business 2 Community (5/27) 
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Sponsored content from The Wall Street Journal
Free to read exclusively for SmartBrief readers
The Business Leader
Strong performers who are bad teammates present a thorny challenge for managers, who should give feedback and coaching but recognize that the employee has to change or be removed, argues Art Petty. "Just don't rationalize maintaining or sustaining the individual in this environment at the cost of destroying it for everyone else, along with your credibility as a manager," he writes.
Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (5/27) 
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NAW Insider
New! "Distribution Leans In: Stories of Resiliency and Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic"
(NAW)
How have distributors been innovating their business during the pandemic? Find that out and much more from 10 distributors who tell their stories and share ideas for both surviving and thriving in a drastically changed business environment. Author Mark Dancer shares up-to-the-minute ideas and insights from distributor leaders based on their experiences and lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic. Order this just-released e-chapter, "Distribution Leans In: Stories of Resiliency and Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic."
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Register for NAW Spring 2021 Billion Dollar Company Virtual Roundtables
(NAW)
Designed for C-suite executives, these NAW roundtables provide actionable strategies that will increase your company's competitive advantage. Companies belonging to this community are from distribution firms that exceed $1 billion in annual sales. You'll engage in thought-provoking conversations with your peers and hear from industry experts on topics that will ultimately increase your profits! Register today.
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Sign up for NAW's free June 29 webinar: Channel Transformation from Supplier to Customer
(NAW)
Suppliers are increasingly selling direct, customer demographics are skewing younger and many distributors are struggling to keep up. Distributors are grappling with fundamental changes in the expectations of their supply chain partners. Suppliers continue to report frustration with their distributors' poor digital capabilities. Join NAW on June 29 at 2 p.m. for this free, live webinar with Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein of Distribution Strategy Group, who will recommend actions distributors should take to address this growing channel conflict. Register today.
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I am never completely satisfied. There always seems to be something just beyond my reach.
Toshiko Takaezu,
ceramic artist, painter
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