MDM’s special report on private label in wholesale distribution dominated top stories on mdm.com in the first quarter 2014. But e-commerce also continues to be top-of-mind for distributors, who seem to be embracing the potential for integrating e-commerce more fully into their operations.
Here are the top five articles on mdm.com from the first quarter 2014:
1. The Drivers of Private Label in Distribution – About 40 percent of distributors in an MDM survey said they offer private label. This article examined the growth of private label in B-to-B markets, shifts in the private label landscape and what’s driving distributors to offer private label brands to their customers.
2. Behind Grainger’s E-Commerce Strategy – In 2013, Grainger surpassed $3 billion in sales from e-commerce channels, representing one-third of total company sales. Paul Miller, vice president of global e-commerce for Grainger, spoke with me about Grainger’s approach and plans for e-commerce.
3. The State of Analytics in Distribution: 2014 – Research from MDM on the adoption and use of analytics by wholesale distribution companies found that the industry is transitioning to a more data-driven mindset, but there are different views on what that means. Many distributors don’t have the tools they need to take advantage of the data they have. This article by MDM Publisher Tom Gale examines the results of that research.
4. Strategies for Private Label Success – Creating a successful private label strategy requires more than just putting the distributor’s name on the products. This article looks at key elements of building a private label strategy and the decisions distributors need to make to successfully implement that strategy.
5. The 2014 State of E-Commerce in Distribution – MDM’s third annual distribution e-commerce survey, sponsored by NetSuite, showed that e-commerce revenue as a percent of overall revenue is rising relative to last year’s survey. This article provides Real Results Marketing’s Jonathan Bein’s analysis of the results.
Also popular on mdm.com in the first quarter:
Just log-in to read these articles. Not a subscriber? Subscribe now for full access.
