Distributors today often have a responsibility to correct, adjust or maintain what is needed to advertise and promote supplier’s products with inconsistent text, images, and training. These adaptations cause additional responsibilities on distributors and have seemingly been a Band-Aid to the overall requirements needed to be successful from product launches, training and publications when and if details are not consistent. This obligation on distribution drives additional expenses to develop and maintain data on behalf of the suppliers.
In the future distributors can and should encourage their supplier partners to participate within RVAA’s Best Practices program to ensure a streamlined and efficient process for new product introduction and sharing of information on pricing and product details. Requiring the Best Practices Price File from all vendors and working toward adherence to Graphic Standards will allow the distributor to free up resources normally spent on these tasks.