Tips for Wholesalers to Compete with Amazon
4 min read - July 28, 2022
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We all know Amazon is the biggest disrupter in the retail and distribution space.
This isn’t breaking news, we know. It’s a way of life at this point. There’s no denying the financial and logistical power of Amazon. But how are you competing?
Let’s walk through the current consumer behavior landscape plus tips to help you compete and reduce losing your clients.
Consumer Behavior Today
Naturally, live interactions have shifted to online transactions. E-commerce penetration in the U.S. grew from roughly 16% to 33% in the span of a year (Forbes). And guess whose platform was designed to thrive in this e-commerce environment?
Yep…Amazon.
Amazon’s hundreds of thousands of online sellers and users, can use competitive price-matching and unbelievably quick last-mile delivery, making it seem like Amazon can do it all.
Stay with us… we have tips your company can use.
Ways to Compete
Wholesale distributors can compete with Amazon. That’s right, small to midsize distributors can take on Amazon in several ways.
Here’s how:
1. The value your sales team provides through expert-level customer service. Provide one thing Amazon can’t, real-life customer interactions. 80% of customers say they’re more likely to do business with companies that offer personalized experiences (Epsilon).
Long-standing customer relationships alone will not protect distribution, but it’s important to arm your team with strong knowledge of the customer to provide meaningful interactions. Combining your customer experience with actionable analytics from WPCRM makes for a stronger partnership. Customers should know they aren’t just an order.
2. Leverage technology for proactive customer engagement. Use the same technology Amazon is using, AI. When you’re able to analyze buying patterns, conduct gap analysis, and recommend new products, your team is providing value beyond just price.
Digital monitoring and communication drastically improve visibility across operations, which many companies say they need but admit they lack (Forbes).
Plus, we know a majority of consumers have already done their research before picking up the phone to call your sales reps. In fact, 59% of consumers do online research when planning a major purchase, to ensure they are making the best possible choice (Fit Small Business). This only enforces the idea you have to offer more than just price these days.
Monitoring every data point you can (digital footprint, lead-to-cash conversion, lead follow-ups, rebate management, cost management, etc.) is how you’ll stay ahead of the competition. The little things matter, but don’t try to do them all yourself.
3. Embrace a distributor network to strengthen your position. We know you don’t look forward to engaging with Bob at the annual conference. But just do it. Bob has similar challenges to you and may have solved an issue you have.
Sharing information and learning best practices will keep your company relevant and up to date with changing market dynamics that can strengthen your position against Amazon.
Listen, we practice what we preach. At WP, we strive to stay updated on wholesale trends through partnerships and industry experts. Our product is built for wholesale distribution, so we want to hear how customer challenges shift, so we can evolve our own business to your needs.
How Our Clients Compete with Amazon
Having a solution to each of these can be expensive and cumbersome. So, we asked our clients which ways WPCRM is helping them. We found that our CRM enables you to differentiate your brand, leverage technology, and embrace your distributor network.
Our clients reported to us that they:
Utilize our user-friendly dashboards and reports to help differentiate their brand with a personalized experience. | Leverage our WPCRM automated analytics and E-commerce integration for proactive customer engagement. | Embrace our own distributor network to connect with like-minded wholesalers and share best practices. |
Don’t get left behind. A top reason small businesses won’t make it is the use of outdated tech. Furthermore, your organization’s tech should unite your teams by driving results with all tools, services, and analytics. |
Want to learn more about how WPCRM helps our customers compete with huge entities like Amazon?
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