In control with Operations for Wholesale & Distribution

Ahead of the game

The Dutch economy is showing recovery which greatly benefits the wholesale trade. However, despite this upturn, the sector has to think ahead. To guarantee survival, other links in the supply chain are repositioning themselves to ensure they don’t miss out. This heightened competition is pressurising prices. As a consequence revenue growth is expected to lag behind volume growth for the next few years. To anticipate this, wholesale businesses need to be prepared.

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Planned progress

Being fully prepared requires planned progress, such as further chain integration, investments in customer retention and service (customer intimacy), perfecting your services (operational excellence) and cutting costs by increasing the efficiency of your business processes and warehouse management. A clear omnichannel strategy is also important in order to respond to the changing purchasing patterns of consumers and commercial customers. Wholesalers that approach this cleverly will have a bright future ahead.

Trends and developments

Consumerisation

The focus of the range and services offered by wholesalers is increasingly shifting to consumers – a segment that behaves differently to commercial customers. And different behaviour demands a different approach.

Complex pricing structures

Pricing applied by wholesalers is currently still very complex, because they work with different (sub) target groups each of which has its own scales and discounts.

Chain integration

Chain integration and closer cooperation with other supply chain parties is giving wholesalers a greater role in the chain, which is increasingly organised around the end customer.

Omnichannel strategy

Growing numbers of wholesalers are discovering the benefits of the internet as an additional sales channel. Smart interfaces between systems allow online customers to be helped quickly and effectively.

Customer retention and loyalty

In the future, wholesalers will be more likely to deliver directly to consumers. The purchasing patterns of commercial customers will also become more volatile. These changes emphasise the importance of good customer management.