ASA's Voice of the Contractor Out Now

American Supply Association's 2023 Voice of the Contractor Survey Report is out now. 543 Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors across the US shared their buying preferences and how distributors can best respond to the changing business environment.

Purchase the full report here.

Below are some excerpts from the section on contractor's eCommerce preferences:

Online Ordering Will Continue to Increase with New-Age Buyers
Younger-Aged Contractors and Larger-Sized Contractors are more apt to order via a distributor’s website / mobile app.
-Younger-Aged Contractors make 15% of their purchases with distributors via Website / Mobile App Ordering, compared to Older-Aged Contractors at 7%.
-Larger-Sized Contractors make 16% of their purchases with distributors via Website / Mobile App Ordering, compared to Smaller-Sized Contractors at 9%.

Most Important Distributor Website/Mobile App Capabilities

Image Source: American Supply Association 2023 Voice of Contractor Survey Report, LINK

A lot More to E-Commerce than Simply Online Ordering
Developing rich product data and providing customers access to critical information is where a distributor’s E-Commerce strategic focus should be. When it comes to a distributor’s website and/or mobile app, too many companies focus primarily on the ease of placing an actual order. In the eyes of the Contractor, there are several capabilities on a distributor’s website/mobile app that are of greater importance, such as the Ability to See Accurate Realtime Branch Inventory, the Ability to See Accurate Account-Specific Pricing, Product Search Filters, and Viewing Product Information (i.e. pictures, descriptions, spec sheets).