How Manufacturers Can Adapt to the COVID-19 Sales Landscape
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned today’s sales landscape upside-down. The traditional model for B2B and B2C sales has always been in-person business, business of contact and contacts. The pandemic has sped an already-rapidly approaching transformation in the sales industry, asking modern questions of traditional methods. Answering these questions will be key to surviving the pandemic and likely well beyond. Without face-to-face, hand-shaking sales being made, how can a manufacturer or vendor save their sales and be sure their product reaches its intended customer?
The changing sales model and the rise of D2C
While changes have been coming for the traditional sales model for some time now, the coronavirus pandemic is challenging businesses to adapt or die. Some obstacles include high operational costs and limited retail space that manufacturers must compete for, resulting in a shift to, or an addition of selling direct-to-consumer (D2C).
For small-to-midsize manufacturers, the transition to selling D2C has been approaching for a little while, as it leverages the already-preferred online sales channel, drives higher revenues, and helps meet customer demand and increase overall satisfaction. However, the rise of D2C eCommerce doesn’t have to mean the complete elimination of the middleman (the distributor or retailer); it instead presents an opportunity for a flexible sales approach that allows manufacturers the freedom to experiment both with what channel best serves their customers and the ability to adjust their selling strategy accordingly. What with the total upheaval of our usual systems and processes in this time of crisis, now is the time to learn the best way for your business to move forward in what will likely become a digital-first selling landscape.
Software as a service (and a solution)
The tests that manufacturers are and will continue to face in the post-COVID world need not be fatal. Manufacturers searching for a new path forward should be looking carefully at their business operations and relationships and thinking about how they can maximize assets and create new efficiencies with the right technology partner. A competitive vendor or manufacturer needs to find a tech platform that addresses their unique needs, whether that be selling through their inventory or processing orders.
Aleran’s suite of solutions presents the perfect opportunity for SMBs to develop and update their selling methods. Aleran’s platform was designed with manufacturers and vendors in mind. It simplifies and streamlines complicated back office tasks that may be the reason for manufacturers to work with a distributor or retailer, now allowing them to instead take full control of their selling strategy, even as people work remotely, as the software is cloud-based. The simple set-up means a painless integration of new technology into the workflow. As Aleran’s platform is price-sensitive and purchased as a monthly subscription service, a business is not tied into a costly integration or a lengthy service contract.
The Aleran platform includes a comprehensive suite of solutions for the manufacturers sales needs, from our secure vendor management tool, VENDORDESK, which allows for real-time order processing and back-end systems integration and reporting, to MARKETPLACE and CATALOG CATALYST, two eCommerce solutions that will have you creating custom websites and clickable product catalogs in minutes. The Aleran eCommerce platform also includes Merchant Services which both ensure PCI compliance and save manufacturers in credit card processing costs. All in all, each part of the platform allows you to adapt to the current fast-moving digital sales landscape and fine-tune your sales strategies.
Contact Aleran today to speak with a Consultant or Request a Demo. 888-388-2408
