Global supply chain constraints and rising prices mean that the promo industry needs to work harder to meet the spike in customer demands. So what should distributors of promotional products do then? While there is no quick band-aid solution, we can plan around it by adapting and innovating. Here are the 3 changes that promo distributors need to make to turbo-charge their growth.
1. Take care of your staff more
The frantic supply chain has been taxing on the staff, leading to burnouts and the advent of The Great Resignation or the mass exodus of valued employees. What used to be an easy task has become impossible, such as chasing up items from suppliers, dealing with ever-changing delivery times, and all the numerous follow-ups for different suppliers.
As an industry that puts client trust and loyalty at a premium, distributors simply can’t have their best people leave. Sales rely so much on the staff that it will hamper business growth if the team is cut down.
Solution: As an employer, you need to devise ways to make their jobs easier. Starting by making item search easier with the use of Promodata, an API that grants distributors access to the data of the top suppliers in the region. With this tool, you only need to type what you’re looking for and set the parameters according to the colour, quantity, size, and other variables that meet the client’s criteria.
Admin work is also cut down as Promodata does away with manual product uploads, follow-ups and runarounds with different suppliers as everything is automated. With the reduction in their workload, time and spending can now be better allocated for the team’s training, compensation, benefits, and maintaining a pleasant work environment.
2. Amazonify your customer shopping experience
Your clients want it fast, easy, and convenient. Never mind that promo has a more difficult process than consumer shopping, they want easy product search (as mentioned above) and real-time updates readily available whenever they need them.
Solution: With Brandengine’s easy product search, real-time inventory updates, and instant product upload, customers have a more frictionless shopping experience.
3. Focus more on team collaboration
With a workflow so complex and non-linear, teamwork is a must. No promo order is completed successfully without the collaboration of different people in your team. Ensuring that your team works together like a well-oiled machine with defined responsibilities and cross-functional training.
Solution: Brandengine’s software is also equipped with promotional product project management and tracking tools so that you can easily track each project and delegate work among your team members. You can also analyse the progress of your project to know which stage each project is lagging. You can then create solutions so that each stage flows smoothly.
Prepare for the upcoming challenges!
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Brandengine is only for Promotional Product Distributors of Promotional Products in Australia and New Zealand. A demo will not be available if you are not a business to business promotional product distributor.