While respondents to the Digital Commerce 360 2022 B2B Seller Survey are optimistic about online sales this year, bigger budgets and better supply chains were challenges cited by 50%. Managing data and upgrading websites also were leading concerns.

Coming to terms with the shift in power from buyers to suppliers and adopting a mindset that is relational, rather than transactional, will help companies improve communication with vendors during the supply chain crisis, according to industry experts. Building trust, eliminating silos and choosing to create and share forecasts are three more ways to strengthen vendor relationships in 2022.

Logistics companies ArcBest and NFI Industries are rolling out thousands of remote-operated forklifts that use Phantom Auto's teleoperation software. The forklifts could help address labor shortages at warehouses by making it possible for forklift operators to work off-site.

Over the next several years, businesses will make one-fourth of their supply chain decisions using intelligent edge ecosystems that are enabled by data gathering and processing at the "point of capture" through sensors and other tools, according to Gartner. Edge computing will also likely lead to greater use of "intralogistics smart robots," Gartner's Dwight Klappich says.

Sales teams often lose efficiency when they focus on increasing sales activity because they end up doing "more of what doesn't work," just at a faster pace, writes David Brock. Instead, salespeople should be focusing on doing the right thing to maximizing the value of each interaction and provide more value to the company and their customers, Brock writes.

Splash CEO Eric Holmen explains five essential design elements for virtual and in-person business-to-business events, based on his company's analysis of top-performing event websites. Holmen offers advice on effective calls to action, headlines and titles, short and simple content, the importance of color contrast, and consistent branding.

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the American Innovation and Choice Online Act on Thursday to a full Senate vote. The bill targets technology companies that prioritize their own services on their platforms.

Paul White, author of "The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace," shares how he's persevered professionally but distinguishes that from pushing himself too hard, as he did in his family life. "Only with 'dialing it back', supportive friends and gaining a healthier perspective on career goals and achievement have we been able to move forward into a more sane pace of life," White says.