The Trump administration is planning a coordinated effort by law enforcement agencies to halt the sale of counterfeit products on e-commerce platforms. The administration also wants legal authority "to explicitly permit the government to seek injunctive relief against third-party marketplaces and other intermediaries dealing in counterfeit merchandise," an official says.

Drugstores and pharmacies have experienced a jump in demand for surgical face masks due to worries about coronavirus. Henry Schein said demand has grown in the US and Asia, while Medline Industries said it is "prepared to ramp up capacity of relevant products" if necessary.

An Averitt Express survey of over 1,800 shippers found that more than 66% of respondents expect greater shipments, a decline of over 3% from last year. The 5th Annual State of the North American Supply Chain survey also found that shippers' confidence level was the lowest since the study was launched.

Commercial vehicles are poised to transition to battery power or hydrogen fuel cells, with the industry confident that battery ranges and charging issues can be solved relatively soon. "We've gone from a place where a year and a half ago, we were at $350 a kilowatt hour to $160 an hour now," says Ryder executive Rich Mohr.

Alexander Kesler outlines seven business-to-business marketing trends that should be followed this year, including the necessity of having a superior, custom-built website and premium content that offers expert insights to prospects. Embrace video, particularly livestreaming, use chatbots, personalize messaging and optimize email marketing with segmentation and testing, he advises.

Asking for help at work, whether you're the CEO or a new hire, shows courage and vulnerability, argues Wayne Baker of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in a new book. "You have to be clear on why you are making the request, the goal you are trying to achieve, and use SMART criteria," he says, with SMART being defined as specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related.

Strategies are more likely to succeed when there is clarity on the vision, who has oversight and how projects will be managed, writes Gary Chin. "Be clear on the project management methodology that will be used, such as traditional, agile, or hybrid," Chin writes.

This study brings together best practices from leading distributors and their suppliers that were developed through a consortium on Optimizing Channel Compensation. The resulting Channel Alignment Framework is the first-of-its-kind map that seeks to build optimal manufacturer-distributor channels. Distributors need to read this book and buy it for their manufacturer partners. Then they need to sit down with those suppliers and properly plan effective processes to get the supplier market access while meeting distributor investment needs.

Called the "Master class in innovation for distributors," "Innovate to Dominate: The 12th Edition in the Facing the Forces of Change Series" has arrived. A roadmap for innovation, it helps distributors connect the dots between the forces of change and how distributors can change their business to capture opportunities -- and defend their business when necessary. The best innovations are about getting ahead instead of catching up.

"Customer Stratification: Best Practices for Boosting Profitability" is a first-of-its-kind study that provides groundbreaking research, best practices from 68 real wholesaler-distributors and 20 practical action steps ready to implement. Rather than focus on sales force communication, this cutting-edge research focuses on customer relationships and the value customers provide to distributors. It looks at four customer stratification dimensions: buying power, customer loyalty, profitability and cost-to-serve. Order now.