DISTRIBUTORS IN TRANSITION -- E-enabled Dealers

Today's dealers are being assaulted by a variety of challenges. As a result, they are often putting e-commerce on the back burner, states DuRoss. "This is an unprecedented era of change and upheaval in the industry. E-commerce is just one of those mega-forces that dealers and manufacturers must deal with all at one time. There is also consolidation, rapid technological change and a bad economy with an uncertain short-term outlook. Given all of these mega-forces, e-commerce can be a tough sell."