Technology Archives

What Distributors Can Learn from the U.S. Government’s New Digital Front Door

The federal government’s new AI-powered america.gov site offers a lesson for distributors: Customers shouldn’t have to navigate your internal complexity to get answers. This piece explores five ideas worth borrowing — and what the latest AI Adoption Index reveals about distributors’ readiness to put them into practice.

October 12, 2026

Study: AI Models Top Out at 52% on Industrial Parts Questions

Reshape Automation’s benchmark finds accuracy and consistency gaps in AI-generated product answers, underscoring data readiness and governance challenges highlighted in NAW’s AI Adoption Index.

October 7, 2026

Market Analysis

Research: Distribution AI’s First Workforce Impact Is Capacity — Not Cuts

NAW’s 2026 AI Adoption Index suggests early returns are showing up as time saved, greater throughput and avoided hiring long before they appear as broad job reductions.

October 5, 2026

Operations

Fuel Costs Put Distributors’ Delivery Miles Under Scrutiny. Here’s How AI is Helping

Rising fuel, labor and operating costs are putting added pressure on distributor margins. This article explores how AI-powered route optimization can help distributors cut unnecessary fleet miles, improve delivery efficiency and reduce costs — without sacrificing the reliable service customers expect.

October 2, 2026

Digital Commerce

Data: Distributor Websites Win Accounts, Trail Reps on Order Value

New research examines how wholesalers use eCommerce to capture orders, attract customers and reactivate dormant accounts. The findings show substantial gaps in online order values and offer benchmarks for assessing digital sales performance.

October 1, 2026

Wesco Leads Distributor Trio on Fortune’s AIQ 75 Ranking

Wesco, TD Synnex and Performance Food Group earned spots on Fortune’s expanded ranking recognizing AI implementation and business impact. The recognition puts distribution’s AI progress in the spotlight and offers a timely connection to NAW’s latest industry research.

September 30, 2026

Perspective

As AI Learns Distribution, Distributors Must Teach it Well

Emerging technology is becoming more specific, more capable and more fluent in how wholesale distribution operates. Here, NAW's Dan Schuberth offers his perspective on how the advantage will go to companies that pair it with the accumulated judgment of their people.

September 24, 2026

Technology Provider News

LeadSmart Launches Meridian360 Growth Platform for Distributors, Manufacturers

The new enterprise growth platform connects ERP, CRM, marketing, quoting and eCommerce data to give distributors and manufacturers a unified view of customers, opportunities and risks.

September 24, 2026

Electrical

Sonepar Accelerates Digital Transformation with Global Data & AI Platform

The electrical distribution giant said its new worldwide Data & AI platform now brings predictive models to operations representing 95% of company revenue, with applications spanning inventory, sales and customer experience.

September 24, 2026

Digital Commerce

Amazon Adds 24/7 AI Workflows to Seller Assistant

Amazon expanded its Seller Assistant with persistent memory, always-on workflows and integrations with outside AI tools, giving marketplace sellers more ways to automate pricing, inventory and listing tasks amid a broader wave of investments across its commerce and delivery operations.

September 23, 2026

Featured Blog

At NAW Innovators Summit, Distribution’s AI Conversation Shifts to Business Value

NAW’s fifth annual Innovators Summit brought distributors and technology innovators together in Nashville for targeted meetings and industry discussions. AI was embedded throughout the event, but the conversation increasingly centered on a more disciplined question: Where can technology create measurable business value?

September 22, 2026

Fastenal Quietly Acquired an AI Startup as Distribution Races to Scale

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September 16, 2026

Digital Commerce

Amazon Business Expands Reconciliation Report with Line-Item Detail

The marketplace’s updated report adds 41 data fields to help finance teams match charges, track refunds and allocate spending, continuing its expansion beyond product purchasing into back-office support.

September 14, 2026

Technology Provider News

Descartes Extends Warehouse Capabilities with Addition of Extensiv

The acquisition extends Descartes' warehouse and inventory management capabilities while deepening its reach into the 3PL and eCommerce fulfillment market.

September 10, 2026

Management

The Quote Writes Itself Now. But That Won’t Be Your Advantage.

AI can now turn quotes and orders around in minutes, but speed alone won’t create a competitive advantage. This article explains how distributors can convert newly freed capacity into proactive selling — directing reps toward the accounts, products and conversations most likely to generate growth.

September 8, 2026

Fasteners

LindFast Connects 3 Fastener Brands with New Digital Commerce Platform

The master distributor’s new U.S. eCommerce experience spans Star Stainless, Stelfast and Lindstrom Fasteners, adding another customer channel after an active period of leadership changes and expansion.

September 3, 2026

Technology Provider News

Conexiom Launches AI-Native Order, Invoice Automation Product

Conexiom Relay is designed to automate order and invoice data from a wider range of unstructured formats while giving distributors greater visibility into how AI makes decisions and applies workflow rules.

September 2, 2026

Technology Provider News

WizCommerce Launches AI-Powered CRM for Distributors

WizCommerce has launched WizCRM — a distributor-focused CRM platform that combines customer records, sales activity, quoting, order entry and AI-assisted workflows within its broader software suite.

August 31, 2026

MRO

Grainger Makes $210M Tech Acquisition to Boost High-Touch Solutions Offering

Grainger’s rare bolt-on adds frictionless inventory technology to its High-Touch business, extending the distributor’s digital strategy deeper into customers’ MRO operations. We cover the details and context here.