Last quarter’s Pulse of Industrial Supply identified a significant divergence in the percentage of digital sales for smaller distributors vs large distributors. Perhaps its the customer base? It could be investments in eCommerce technology and product data. It could be marketing. But it could also be that smaller distributors are not being customer friendly, technologically.

When you dig into it, the larger companies win on direct technological connections with their customers. This could be punchouts and EDI, or it could be other technologies.

Earlier this year we conducted eCommerce research and asked industrial buyers about their eCommerce experience and utilization. The results mimicked what we do in our consumer lives – more usage.

Customers are doing more information searching than ever before. Many would like to do more ordering, if it was easier, especially for larger BOMs. Current systems just are not capable of achieving this.

Motivate is helping distributors address this issue. In a recent conversation, Justin Johnson shared his observations and thoughts. So, I asked him to pen an article, and we are holding a webinar on December 16th to further discuss. I also convinced him to offer webinar registrants / attendees an early Christmas gift to help companies gain win more business, and a perhaps give them a local competitive edge.

Upgrading Ecommerce to Serve Industrial Buyers

Online ordering has never been more important to distribution. Customer expectations are rising, competition is increasing, and nearly every market analysis points to the same conclusion. Buyers want speed, accuracy, and digital convenience more than at any point in the industry’s history.

To help distributors understand the next major shift in online customer behavior, Channel Marketing Group and Motivate will host a webinar on December 16 that explores a huge opportunity now reshaping digital commerce.

Register for the webinar here

The webinar centers on one idea: distributors do not need a new website, a new platform, or a new design to achieve meaningful online growth. What they need is a small but powerful improvement that aligns ecommerce with the way customers already place orders.

This is not about technology for the sake of technology. It is about understanding human behavior inside supply chain relationships and building digital experiences that support that behavior.

Customer Convenience Is Now the Real Differentiator

For several years, analysts have noted that distributors are making steady progress in ecommerce adoption. More product content is available. Navigation and filtering are improving. Mobile experience is no longer an afterthought.

Yet one fundamental truth remains unchanged, buyers want the benefits of digital commerce, but they still default to the process that is most comfortable.

This familiar process is the purchase order. Not a search bar. Not a category tree. Not a filtered path through thousands of SKUs. They already have a document that lists the products they need.

This is why so many online carts are abandoned, even on well-designed ecommerce sites. The buyer starts with a purchase order and then has to translate it into a website driven workflow. Every step adds friction. Every extra click introduces uncertainty.

The opportunity is to remove that friction entirely.

A Natural Next Step in Digital Ordering

In recent months, a growing number of distributors have begun offering customers an alternative path. Instead of requiring customers to navigate the site, they allow them to upload a purchase order or send it by email or text. Artificial intelligence reads it, identifies the correct items and pricing, and produces a complete cart for the customer to review.

The process feels natural because it matches the customer’s starting point. It turns ecommerce into a confirmation step rather than a search exercise.

One regional electrical distributor who recently adopted this approach summarized the impact clearly. “Our customers were never frustrated with our products. They were frustrated with the process. When we allowed them to submit their order in the format they were already using, our online revenue rose quickly, and our inside team gained hours back every day.”

This approach does not compete with the ecommerce site. It complements it. It respects buyer behavior instead of requiring buyers to change it.

Why This Works for Distributors and Customers

This upgrade succeeds because it strengthens the relationship between the distributor and the customer rather than placing the burden on the customer to adapt. It reinforces trust by making ordering easier, faster, and more reliable.

It also reflects a broader trend in B2B commerce that mirrors what happened with consumer digital adoption years ago. People adopt the experiences that remove friction from their work. Anything that saves time becomes the preferred path.

By offering a simple upload or text-based ordering option, distributors achieve several meaningful outcomes:

• Customers complete more online orders because the path is easier
• Inside sales teams process fewer manual orders and fewer corrections
• Reorders happen faster, especially for large or complex purchase lists
• Online revenue grows because the process feels more natural to the customer

These improvements do not require a new platform or a multi month project. They require a deeper understanding of how customers behave and a willingness to adjust the digital experience accordingly.

A Shift Toward Practical Innovation

The distribution industry has always been strongest when it focuses on practical improvements rather than dramatic reinvention. This upgrade fits that mindset. It is not a transformation project. It is a refinement that meets customers where they already are.

It also signals a new chapter in digital commerce strategy for distributors. The focus is moving away from shiny technology and toward meaningful convenience. The solutions that succeed will be the ones that remove effort from the buying process.

As David Gordon of Channel Marketing Group notes, “Distributors do not need another complicated digital initiative. What they need is a way to make online ordering feel as natural as sending a message. When that happens, adoption increases quickly and digital, or electronic, commerce as a percentage of sales, increases.”

This is exactly what the December 16th webinar will explore.

Register for the December 16 Webinar

A Deep Look at the Future of Customer Driven Ecommerce

Channel Marketing Group and Motivate will present real distributor experiences, data driven observations about buyer expectations, and a practical roadmap for implementing purchase order driven online ordering.

The session will examine:

• How customer behavior is evolving faster than ecommerce design
• Why purchase order driven ordering is emerging as the most natural online path
• What distributors are already experiencing after adopting this workflow
• How to implement this upgrade quickly without changing platforms
• What this means for the future of online revenue growth

This conversation is aimed at leaders who want to improve online performance without undertaking large scale projects. It will focus on clarity, practicality, and forward-looking insight.

Register for the December 16 webinar here

Take Aways

• If you’ve ever wondered how national chains report high percentages of digital sales, this is part of the answer, and it is very similar, conceptually, to accepting EDI orders from customers. They simply send what they have, the system handles the rest.
• If digital initiatives are important to you / your company for 2026, you, or someone in your company should attend.
• This is a session for distributors only.
• The Christmas offer is compelling, but it is a limited time offer.

I hope to see you there on the 16th.