Issue link: https://pros.com/learn/i/1125868
2 In the post-COVID manufacturing marketplace, the concerns of buyers, managers, and dealers go well beyond the goods that are being produced. As digitization trickles into every facet of our lives, buyers now have easy access to more options and purchase information than ever before. With this increased visibility comes heightened expectations, as buyers now expect immediate availability of both off-the-shelf products and more complex, custom configurations—all while demanding varying levels of sales support. In a fast-moving market with increasing selling complexity and digital channels gaining momentum, manufacturers must provide buyers with the right offering, at the optimal price, at the right time, via a personalized and consistent experience across all channels. That means delivering a fast, intuitive customer experience and pricing that maintains consistency despite a host of shifting conditions including: • Global market uncertainties • Supply chain imbalances • Skilled labor shortages • The need to implement new technologies for Manufacturing 4.0 • The shift to customer self-service ordering applications Buyers need to be confident that these and a host of other considerations will not get in the way of their business objectives—and that their manufacturing partners are ready to respond immediately to emerging needs in the market for new products as they arise. In today's digital age, manufacturers are able to leverage technology to build meaningful differentiated value. Broadening the use of AI tools to evaluate the overall markets more fully for customers and to better understand buying behavior will enable manufacturers to deliver a more agile, better informed, and more intelligent selling process tailored for every customer. Digital transformation is only one part of the picture, though. Manufacturing sales transformation must bring it all together as part of a larger plan that's specifically tailored to the customer's needs. Let's explore the ways in which the latest thinking from PROS paves the way to transforming the end-to-end sales process within manufacturing. Disruption in Manufacturing: Improving Customer, Distributor, and Dealer Experiences Quick Case The total number of B2B digital commerce transactions are expected to overtake the total number of B2B direct sales transactions by the end of 2021 1 1 "Increase Profits and Delight Buyers by Becoming a Digital-First Onmichannel B2B Seller." Gartner, April 2021.