MDM’s Tom Gale discussed AI’s growing role in distribution during DCKAP’s third-annual user conference.

DCKAP, a cloud-based software product company with an ERP integration platform, brought together distributors and software partners for DCKAP Round-Up 2024 at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium on Aug. 27 to learn about the growing impact of artificial intelligence and how digital innovation is reshaping customer engagement and business models for manufacturers and distributors.

As a featured speaker, Gale discussed how AI is allowing companies to identify trends in customer behavior and leverage data to create tailored experiences.

“The real power of it is the capability to take large amounts of data and identify patterns, and then help to really shape some structure around those patterns to give you insights that otherwise is going to be really difficult to get at,” Gale said.

He also emphasized that AI offers smaller distributors a chance to compete effectively without large-scale investments.

“AI can take the ability to personalize and engage customers to new levels, and I think that’s where we’ll see the focus of AI over the next couple of years,” Gale said during the event. “It will level the playing field with larger competitors.”

Premium: MDM Research – Industry’s AI Participation Jumps from a Year Earlier (July 2024)

To view the whole discussion, check out this video from DCKAP.

The event also featured talks with:

• New Jersey-based JanSan distributor Spruce Industries CEO Daniel Josephs, who emphasized customer-driven innovation;
• Mark Brohan, Senior Vice President of B2B and Market Research at Digital Commerce 360, who shared the importance of omni-channel user experience strategies in B2B eCommerce, and;
• DCKAP Founder and CEO Karthik Chidambaram, who shared the challenges of integration and software.

For a deep dive into how distributors are utilizing AI, check out our MDM Research report, Distribution AI: A playbook to accelerate success.