Millennials have less knowledge of their companies’ preferred suppliers and rely more heavily on the Internet when making purchasing decisions than prior generations, according to a new report from master distributor United Stationers in conjunction with Research Now. According to the report, millennials are expected to make up more than half of the white-collar workforce within the next six years.
The United Stationers report – "Office Products Enthusiasm: Driving the Millennial Purchase,” which examines office supplies purchasing behaviors – has broader implications for distributors outside of the sector.
The report found that millennials have different buying behaviors than their predecessors, with 58 percent going online first (as opposed to a catalog or store) when shopping for an office product, 11 percentage points higher than the figure for baby boomers.
This makes it increasingly important for companies to solidify their online presence, especially because millennials may be more likely to shop around than past generations. According to the report, only 56 percent of millennials were aware of their company’s preferred supplier, compared with 67 percent of baby boomers, so the results of online searches may increasingly be taking the place of company preferences when it comes to choosing a supplier.
Because of younger generations’ growing role in distribution, online marketing is now a necessity, according to SVM E-Marketing Solutions’ Bob DeStefano in Why Online Marketing is Essential for Distributors. The idea that buyers are increasingly making buying decisions online is no longer in question, DeStefano says. The question is, he says, will they be able to find you? And will they like what they see?
DeStefano says a distributor’s website should be the hub of its marketing efforts. Other than the obvious benefit of giving a company visibility in the market, fully integrating a company’s website into its marketing efforts allows distributors to extend printed marketing messages, establish new prospect relationships and more.
Read about the online marketing imperative in the MDM Premium article Why Online Marketing is Essential for Distributors. Or, for the complete roadmap to preparing your company for success in the connected world, order the Stop Marketing Like It's 1999! DVD and B-to-B Online Marketing Toolkit today from the MDM Store.
Read more about the impact of the generational shift on distributors in MDM’s 2013 Distribution Trends Report.
United Stationers is a master distributor of office products, janitorial and breakroom products, office furniture and industrial products.
