What impact does the Internet have on business models and business strategies for distributors and suppliers?
A lot of companies lean towards replicating old business processes, models and ideas. In order for a company to form a successful Internet-driven business model, what common mistakes should it avoid? McLaughlin: Many suppliers in other industries are already using the Internet to improve profitability. Reduced manufacturing times, lower direct costs, lower order processing costs and better demand forecasting are some of the successes being reported. Exciting as that growing trend is for most industries, I think most of the promotional products industry is a long way from sharing in these technology-enabled benefits. The industry’s foundation is the independent suppliers, very few of whom, I’m afraid, consistently ship properly decorated products on time. Missed ship dates are a chronic problem. Technology cannot make a bad company good, but it can make a good company better. Until suppliers improve their basic business processes and achieve very high levels of reliability, there really
