Getting on Board with E-Commerce

The world exists online now more than ever as humanity combats the COVID-19 pandemic. People are purchasing everything from groceries to pet supplies on e-commerce platforms. Consumers and businesses have been forced to adapt to this rapidly changing online landscape, and manufacturers have to be ready to do the same.

The good news? Your customers are ready.

A 2019 report found that less than 6 percent of manufacturing sales came through e-commerce channels in 2018, which was only a modest increase from the year before. We know that the future is digital, and innovative companies have driven this change over the past few decades.

Although many of the B2B experts I know stand firm in saying e-commerce will power the future, manufacturers have been slow to adopt this mindset. Why? The dealer networks and purchasing intranets are already in place, and those systems work — at least for now.

The shift to e-commerce is reminiscent of the early days of the telephone. In 1878, New Haven, Connecticut, became the site of the first commercial telephone exchange. While the telephone industry boomed in New Haven, plenty of people outside the area still weren’t on board. Eventually, telephones became universal. Communication by phone became the expectation.

E-commerce will have a similar tipping point. Customers will demand to see the systems that are being used in every other industry. People won’t bother with old or outdated processes if they can instead go to a manufacturer that has a modern e-commerce system in place.

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