Essendant is transforming with Connected Commerce

B2B distributor Essendant transforms with connected commerce and digital transformation

By his estimate, one of the largest distributors in markets serving cleaning, sanitation and related industries is not widely known. But the new interim CEO of Essendant Inc. aims to change that perception.

Dave Boone — appointed interim CEO in May to replace Harry Dochelli, who retired — aims to achieve this by transforming the traditional distribution business into a more streamlined organization focused on digital commerce and transformation.

Essendant is a national wholesale distributor with consolidated annual net sales exceeding $5 billion. The company’s new corporate focus is on a new program that Essendant calls Connected Commerce.

Essendant Highlights Its Connected Commerce Services

Connected Commerce combines Essendant’s capabilities to serve B2B sellers more effectively. It also aims to effectively increase visibility through a comprehensive platform of digital services that include:

Connects to most major marketplaces, B2B platforms and online stores. Also connects to nine of the top 10 national retailers.
Deep e-commerce coverage and channel expertise for over 1,300 major brands and 560 suppliers. All delivered through 20 online stores and marketplaces.
Order fulfillment expertise and fast delivery. This includes next-day delivery to 98% of the United States with a nationwide network of over 20 fulfillment centers.
Much emphasis will be placed on serving companies across the full spectrum of business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) activities.

“50% of the packages we ship from our distribution centers are direct-to-consumer and e-commerce,” Boone told Digital Commerce 360. “It (Connected Commerce) builds on what this company has been doing for a long time. We’ve realized over the last six months that we have a set of assets that, when put together properly, create a very compelling proposition for brands.”

Essendant is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It currently distributes 2,000 brands and 80,000 SKUs through all major channels.

Key Features of Connected Commerce

With the new Connected Commerce program, Essendant will offer customers and users a defined set of digital tools and features. These tools enable them to:

See optimized product and content offerings for each channel.
Get real-time access to inventory.
Implement performance monitoring and trending guidance.
Conduct a pricing analysis and review your competitors’ insights.
Digitally monitor the sales process across markets and channels.
Use your compliance expertise to sell directly to large retailers.
Benefit from a flexible network of fulfillment centers spanning coast to coast.

“We have an established fulfillment network and we have the potential to grow that in the marketplace,” Boone says. “The second thing I think we have that’s underappreciated is that this company is connected to every major platform and company in the U.S.—that’s a huge opportunity.”

As we enter the next two decades with an organization with an established infrastructure and strategy focused on online commerce, Essendant will help you do business in new and better ways, he said.

Boone and Essendant to Deliver Keynote Address at EnvisionB2B 2024

“As we look at the next 10 to 20 years for this company — the continued growth of B2B and B2C e-commerce — we just felt that if we could combine those assets into a more comprehensive solution, it would be powerful.”

Boone and Essendant will discuss Essendant’s ongoing digital transformation more broadly at EnvisionB2B 2024 in Chicago on September 12.

His afternoon keynote address, “A Better Way to Excel in (E)Commerce,” will focus on how manufacturers and distributors of branded office supplies and industrial products are collaborating to grow through digital channels.

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