The Next Competitive Advantage in Distribution Isn’t a New Tool. It’s Integration.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most distributors have already bought the systems they need to compete. Far fewer have connected them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this report based on a Q1 2026 survey of 233 North American wholesale distribution executives, DSG assesses adoption across 54 technology categories alongside AI activity, governance structures, and self-assessed digital maturity. The findings are unambiguous: 55% of distributors have invested in ERP, CRM, ecommerce, and analytics \u2014 but have not integrated them. The competitive gap in distribution is no longer about which tools a company owns. It is about whether those tools are talking to each other. High-maturity distributors deploy and integrate an average of 28 technologies. Low-maturity peers average five. That 23-technology gap does not close with a purchase order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key insights include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report provides a practical framework for distribution executives ready to evaluate where their technology operation stands \u2014 and what it would take to move to the next level. The 23% of distributors successfully scaling AI did not get there by chasing the newest capability. They built the platform first, then layered intelligence on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For leaders who want to understand not just what high-maturity distributors do \u2014 but why the sequencing works \u2014 this is the benchmark to measure yourself against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Download Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n