“If you're a distributor in America today, you’ve got to get digital — quick,” says John Caplan, president, North America and Europe, Alibaba.com, who spoke on last week’s MDM Live about why digital has become imperative for distributors to compete.

Optimize search results, facilitate up-sells and cross-sells, promote items that need to turn quickly and elevate private-label products — all ways distributors can use AI to transform websites from order-taking to order-making assets.

Blindly following a competitor’s lead or treating every customer the same are two common mistakes that distributors can’t afford to make in today’s environment. Consultant Robert Sabath explains how these and other common actions can hold you back.