Meeting the Demands of a Changing Customer
Distributors in the electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and industrial supply industries are experiencing a seismic shift in how their customers expect to interact and do business. Traditional processes—reliant on phone calls, emails, and paper catalogs—are increasingly being replaced by streamlined, self-service digital solutions.
The rise of eCommerce is no longer about only capturing an online order; it’s an essential tool for maintaining competitiveness, meeting customer expectations, and growing market share. It’s about enabling customers to interact with you, however they want to. It’s about choice and ease of doing business … whenever they want to. From simplifying complex B2B transactions to improving operational efficiency, eCommerce is transforming the way distributors serve their make customers.
Why Distributors Need eCommerce
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Buyers expect to access product information (including spec sheets, videos, installation information and more, their pricing to support their estimating / budgeting needs as well as price comparisons, and inventory availability on their own schedule.
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Customers increasingly prefer tools that allow them to place repeat orders, track shipments,manage accounts and more without waiting on a sales representative.
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Providing up-to-date product information and inventory availability can mean the difference between winning and losing a sale.
Managing Complex Transactions
For distributors, eCommerce isn’t just about selling online—it’s about streamlining the complex nature of B2B interactions:
Common Pain Points Distributors Face Without eCommerce
Without an eCommerce strategy, distributors face significant challenges. The biggest challenge is the risk of losing your customer, when they want to interact digitally, cannot do it with you and then use your competitor’s website.
When they use your competitor’s website they:
Get exposed to
And they may decide to buy from your competition!
They may view your competition as 'easier to do business with.'
Providing an eCommerce solution can address challenges such as:
01
Incomplete or outdated information frustrates customers and leads to lost opportunities.
02
Inconsistent communication and outdated tools hinder the ability to build strong relationships with customers
03
Time-consuming workflows like quoting, order processing, and data entry slow operations and increase errors.
How eCommerce Solves These Challenges
Centralized Product Information
A robust eCommerce platform consolidates product data, ensuring customers always have access to accurate descriptions and spec sheets. With a little integration, inventory and even customer-specific pricing can be shared. This helps:
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Enhanced Customer Experience
With eCommerce, distributors can provide self-service tools that save time for their teams and their customers:
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Real-time inventory and pricing updates ensure customers always have the most accurate information at their fingertips.
Online portals enable customers to reorder products, check order histories, and manage accounts independently.
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Real Results from Adopting eCommerce
Many distributors in the construction and industrial trades have already reaped the benefits of eCommerce:
Start Your Digital Transformation Today
The demand for digital transformation in distribution is growing. Customers expect it, competitors have it, and the potential for growth is undeniable. eCommerce is not just a sales channel—it’s a powerful tool for driving efficiency, scaling operations, and delivering superior customer experiences.
And while some believe it is expensive, there are cost-effective solutions that help you deploy quickly while having a robust site with much content.
Wondering how your customers are using eCommerce? We’re asking contractors and industrial facilities if, and how, they are. This is a follow-up to research Channel Marketing Group did pre-Covid.
Reserve your copy today.
This research is sponsored by BigCommerce.
