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Digital Commerce

Benchmarks: How Much of Distributor Sales Come from Digital?

We share our latest survey-driven snapshot of what distributors and manufacturers indicated their digital sales are, plenty of commentary from distributors on the matter and our analysis and context on underlying factors.

By Mike Hockett

February 23, 2026

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Wholesale distribution has long had a reputation for being late to the party of technology adoption — largely evidenced by the industry’s slow uptake of eCommerce. That notion has been somewhat bucked recently by

distributors’ impressive embracement of AI

, but MDM’s latest research into eCommerce representation across distributors’ current total sales shows that finding scaled success on that front continues to be an uphill battle. The 4Q25 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey — conducted Jan. 5-12 — included a rotating question that asked: “Approximately what percentage of your company’s…

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