Online buying with distributors continues to grow

By Jim Carbone -- Purchasing, 6/5/2008 12:37:00 PM
Sales transactions via the Web are still a small portion of the electronics distribution industry's sales but they are growing, according to a Purchasing survey.
Catalog distributors report some of the strongest sales via the Web. Digi-Key says 62% of its sales are online sales, which is up from 54% in 2006. Mouser reports 35% of its sales are from the Web, up from 31% in 2006. Allied derived 20% of its sales on line, up from 19% from the previous year. Seventeen percent of Newark’s revenue was from Web sales.
Others that reported online buying in the double digits include Air Electro, All American, Beyond, Cumberland, Fedco, Flame, Garrett, Jaco, JRH, Kensington, Master, Nedco, Powell, Schuster, Simple, Symmetry and Waldom। Of the Top 75, 44 distributors offer online buying. This is down from 2006 when 55 distributors offered e-procurement. Twenty-one of the top distributors reported double-digit sales via the Web, which is up from 14 in 2006.

ARTICLE