Why Distributors Should Think More Like E-Commerce Companies

Posted by aniket vichare on March 2nd, 2020

The enormous rise of e-commerce has been a formidable force for industrial wholesale and distribution companies UAE. Previously supply chains could only be accessed via a dedicated distribution service but it can now be tapped online at least partially. New-age buyers are accustomed with having detailed data on everything, starting from product availability and pricing to their order’s precise location en route. Anything that does not match up fails to satisfy buyers. No wonder, traditional distribution companies in Dubai are now compelled to change their systems rapidly since the services they provided are no longer considered to be as valued or advantageous.

Industrial wholesalers need better online presence, to be able to create the kind of transparency, usability, and attractiveness that give e-commerce platforms an edge. Irrespective of the reputation you, as a distributor, have enjoyed over the years for excellent customer service, with the digital era taking over all walks of life, you also need to make life easy for your customer. You can make the transition towards a better online interface in the following ways:

a. Prioritise a clean, well-designed website: this is absolutely necessary regardless of how niche a distributor you are. Your website should be targeted at conveying how helpful, customer-oriented, and accessible you are. Everything should be completely dummy-proof, and your website should clearly communicate concepts such as pricing and how to get started.

b. Back your online product pages with helpful content: the advantage of e-commerce sites is that they make it easy for clients to search for and access digitally-sold products instead of them having to go through a service representative. But your intention should not be make product information more readily available to your clients. On the other hand, you should aim to back every product you offer with more content and helpful guidance, which will ultimately attract more website traffic.

c. Digital upselling: These days, e-commerce companies are heavily focused on suggesting products that their existing customers are likely to want or need next, and they do this effectively by upselling through suggested digital content. Just with this tactic, traditional distribution companies in UAE have lost a lot of business. However, in traditional sales situations, distributors have expertise in anticipating their client’s needs and upselling them through better services and product offerings. The need of the hour is to convert that sales expertise to create upsell opportunities on the web.