Nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, distribution business conditions are still far from “normal,” as in what they were in late 2019. While improved in most areas of pandemic-led disruption, 2022 was the third-straight year that distributors had to navigate major challenges of inflationary pricing, supply chain bottlenecks and a labor pool that has been difficult to attract and retain. Those factors were amid the ongoing challenge of a digital transformation that the entire distribution landscape had already embarked on pre-2020 but was forced to accelerate by B2B buyers’ rapidly evolving preference for a digital buying experience.

With 2022 now behind us, let’s look at the current state of forces impacting distributors, what 2023 may have in store and how distributors can navigate conflicting market signals.