Distributors act as the middle man between manufacturers and retailers. They do the heavy lifting of maintaining brand identity with retailers on behalf of manufacturers. Distributors usually represent an associated group of products or manufacturers.  For example, a distributor may focus on importing soft goods like sheets and towels for the hospitality industry or they may supply auto parts to auto parts stores.

More than ever, distributors need eCommerce to stay connected with existing markets and to penetrate new markets. But the software solutions they use must be geared to B2B transactions. Platforms that provide eCommerce for distributors must be able to handle an unlimited number of custom catalogs. That’s because each customer of the distributor may only purchase a select line of SKUs.

These buyers don’t want to slog through tens of thousands of SKUs to find the several hundred they purchase. In addition, because distributors negotiate prices with their customers, eCommerce for distributors must handle multiple price lists and effortlessly process requests for quotations.

A robust content management system is essential for eCommerce for distributors to provide essential product support. A distributor’s customer doesn’t want to call or email to request an MSDS or owner’s manual. They prefer to download the information from the web. And the distributor’s website is the first place they will visit.