The May/June issue of Industrial Distribution magazine showcased the results of its annual Survey of Distributor Operations. A positive industry outlook was certainly present, with 77% of distributors saying sales increased this year, and 86% believing they’ll increase next year. Speaking of sales, the survey noted an incredible statistic that demonstrates how relational our industry is: 85% of respondents believe relationships are the primary reason people do business with them.
Also, 28% of the respondents noted that acquisitions came up during the last year. If you’re one of them, and you missed our article titled Acquisition Help: Crucial Tips for Integrating a New Location, be sure to check it out. In spite of acquisition activity, 78% said their growth strategy is to do more business with existing customers.
As for technology trends, only 28% of respondents said they were using an ERP system and 11% of respondents said they were using RF technology. However, 14% intend to adopt RF in the next two years. Additionally, 75% of distributors polled expect their online sales to increase in the next year.
There’s a summary of ID’s survey stats on TEDMag.com, or you an access the entire report-filled issue here.
FIND OUT MORE of the who’s who and what’s what of software, IT and distribution …
That sure is a lot of acronyms! But, it’s the “who’s who” and “what’s what” of distribution, software and technology this month. Some industry news stories we found interesting include two Industrial Distribution reports, one on the 
Zerion's The Link 