Distribution Trends
MARK HUBBARD addressed manufacturers and distributors on the challenges facing the market at the recent Educational Distribution
Symposium at EDspaces 2018.
decision-makers are stepping up
their due diligence to contend
with the multitude of solutions
that are available to them. Their
goal is to understand the differ-
ences between competitors and
determine the right fit for their
use case, as well as, minimize the
risk of picking the wrong solution.
Motivating many customers is the
competition to attract and retain
students. Moreover, recognition
of the sizeable impact the physical
environment has, positively or neg-
atively, on the learner and teacher
experiences and outcomes means
each purchase carries more weight
and likely higher costs.
A final thought on the redistri-
bution of decision authority is that
as Baby Boomers retire across the
education professional purchasing
landscape, longstanding relation-
ships, complete with high levels
of tribal knowledge, are being
removed from the business model.
Millennials are taking the place of
this personnel, bringing their high
degree of comfort using connected
devices and low reliance on face-
to-face business interaction to the
education business world.
Consumer attitudes and be-
haviors are changing about how,
where, and when business trans-
actions are taking place. Un-
surprisingly, buyers want to do
business wherever and whenever
they choose, with a device of their
choosing and have a seamless user
experience in the process. Too,
there is a diminishing regard for
lead time/order preparation. Today,
a quick Google search can tell you
just about anything you need to
know to make a purchase decision.
As a result, consumers have little
patience when companies cannot
meet a query with clear, accurate
and reliable response. With this
wealth of data and the technology
to support it, consumers often feel
like there’s no excuse for getting it
wrong.
Peer perspectives have a rising
influence on attitudes, behaviors
and final purchase decisions. A
growing number of decisions are
influenced, to varying degrees, on
opinions/reviews shared through
social networks. These social
networks have conditioned many
of us to expect the businesses with
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