Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo: B2B Trade, Suppliers, and Channel Partners

Episode 107 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores how distributors can leverage co-op marketing funds from suppliers to drive local demand and strengthen partner relationships. Lucas and Luna break down the mechanics of co-op advertising programs, using the example of a Midwest HVAC distributor that turned $50,000 in unclaimed funds into a targeted radio campaign generating a 4x return...

Episode 106 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores dynamic pricing in distribution. Lucas and Luna break down how a mid-sized electrical distributor used real-time market data and AI to adjust prices on thousands of SKUs, boosting gross margin by 3.2 percentage points within six months without losing volume. They discuss the technology stack, the cultural shift required in sales teams,...

Episode 105 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna break down how distributors build supplier scorecards that grade vendors on on-time delivery, defect rates, and lead-time consistency. They walk through a real-world example from a mid-sized HVAC parts distributor that used a weighted scorecard to consolidate from 14 suppliers to 6, cutting late deliveries by 40 percent and reduc...

Minimum order quantities (MOQs) are a fixture of B2B distribution, but most buyers misunderstand how distributors set them. In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack the strategy behind a seemingly simple number. They examine how MOQs function as a filtering mechanism, a cost-recovery tool, and a relationship-building lever. The conversation centers on a mid-sized industrial distributor that restruct...

In this episode of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna break down dead net pricing—a B2B procurement model where suppliers quote a firm all-in price upfront, eliminating hidden surcharges and back-end rebates. They unpack how a mid-sized electrical distributor saved 3.2% on annual procurement costs after switching its top 15 suppliers to dead net terms. Lucas explains why dead ne...

Distributors hate carrying dead stock on new SKUs. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how consignment inventory shifts the risk back to suppliers. They walk through a real example: a regional HVAC distributor who convinced a compressor manufacturer to hold inventory in their warehouse until a sale was made. That freed up $1.2 million in working capital and let the distributor test 23 new prod...

Cross-docking is a logistics strategy where inbound shipments are sorted and immediately loaded onto outbound trucks with minimal or no warehouse storage. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down how a mid-sized industrial distributor in Ohio cut inventory holding costs by 18% in six months using a simple cross-dock operation at a single facility. They walk through the math: how the distributor...

Episode 100 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how industrial distributors are deploying edge computing servers in their own warehouses to cut cloud latency from 200 milliseconds to under 10 milliseconds. They walk through a real case: a Midwestern electrical distributor that used a $15,000 edge appliance to improve real-time inventory accuracy for its 50 fastest-movi...

Episode 99 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo digs into payment term compression — the quiet but powerful tactic distributors use to shorten receivables without alienating customers. Lucas and Luna unpack a real example from a mid-sized electrical distributor that moved from Net 60 to Net 30 across its top 200 accounts over twelve months. They walk through the specific playbook: how the dist...

Episode 98 digs into demurrage and detention—the fees distributors pay when trucks sit idle at loading docks or containers linger past free time. Lucas walks through a real example: a mid-sized plumbing supply distributor in Ohio that was burning $8,000 a month in avoidable demurrage until they rewrote their supplier contracts. He explains the difference between demurrage (container beyond free da...

Episode 97 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dig into a surprising B2B margin lever: the returns process. They walk through how one mid-sized electrical distributor, City Electric Supply, turned a costly returns headache into a data source for smarter procurement. The episode covers the hidden costs of returns, how return reason codes reveal supplier quality gaps, and why th...

In this episode of Wholesale & Distribution, Lucas and Luna explore how distributors are using gear ratios—the relationship between engine RPM and wheel speed—to cut fuel costs and extend vehicle life. They break down a real case: a mid-sized HVAC distributor in Ohio that saved 18% on diesel by re-gearing its delivery fleet. Lucas explains the math behind torque curves and why many distributors ar...

Episode 95 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo dives into AI chatbots in B2B distribution. Lucas and Luna discuss how Grainger and MSC Industrial Supply deployed chatbots to handle routine inquiries like order status, inventory checks, and returns, freeing human reps for complex sales. They examine Nvidia's impact on AI infrastructure, the ROI of chatbot implementation, and pitfalls like data...

Episode 94 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores vendor-managed inventory (VMI) as a strategy to reduce stockouts and buffer costs. Lucas and Luna break down how a mid-sized industrial distributor, Allied Supply, cut emergency orders by 40% after implementing VMI with its top ten suppliers. They walk through the data-sharing mechanics, the shift in purchasing authority, and the hidden...

Slotting fees are best known in consumer packaged goods, but a surprising number of B2B distributors now charge suppliers for space in their warehouses and catalogs. Lucas and Luna dig into how a mid-sized electrical distributor in the Midwest began charging a flat fee of $5,000 per SKU to get prime pick-face positions in its distribution center. They explore why the practice is spreading from foo...

Episode 92 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dig into the overlooked world of freight audit and payment — the process distributors use to catch overcharges, duplicate invoices, and billing errors from carriers. They walk through a real example: a midsize parts distributor that recovered $140,000 in one quarter just by auditing its parcel invoices. They explain why most distr...

Episode 91 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo digs into zone skipping — the logistics strategy that lets distributors bypass intermediate sortation hubs to save big on parcel shipping. Lucas and Luna break down how a mid-sized electrical distributor cut freight spend by 18 percent by consolidating outbound pallets and shipping directly to regional postal centers. They walk through the mechan...

In episode 90 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how distributors are beginning to use blockchain technology to automate and secure supplier payment verification. They focus on a mid-sized industrial distributor in the Midwest that cut payment dispute resolution time from 14 days to under 4 hours by implementing a permissioned ledger shared with its top 20 suppliers....

Episode 89 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo digs into volume rebates — the hidden lever distributors pull to keep customers buying without discounting. Lucas and Luna unpack a real 2026 case: a Midwestern HVAC distributor that restructured its rebate tiers around a single data point — 95 percent order fill rate — and boosted customer retention by 18 percent in nine months. They walk throug...

Lucas and Luna explore how wholesale distributors use blanket orders—long-term purchase agreements with fixed pricing and scheduled releases—to stabilize supply chains and lock in favorable terms. They walk through a real example: a mid-sized electrical distributor who negotiated a 12-month blanket order with a major wire and cable manufacturer during the copper price volatility of 2025. The episo...

Episode 87 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna unpack the strategy of seasonal inventory pre-buys — where distributors purchase goods months ahead of peak demand to lock in lower prices and guarantee supply. Using the 2025-2026 propane shortage as a case study, they explain how one Midwestern distributor saved 12% on winter fuel by contracting in July. The hosts walk through t...

Episode 86 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how distributors are using digital twin simulations to redesign warehouse layouts without costly real-world experiments. They break down a real case: a Midwest electrical distributor that saved $1.8 million by simulating a rack reconfiguration before moving a single pallet. Key takeaways include optimizing pick paths, redu...

Episode 85 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna explore how distributors are adopting dynamic pricing models to capture margin in real time. They examine the case of a Midwest industrial distributor that used price elasticity software to raise prices on fast-moving SKUs without losing volume, boosting gross margin by 3.2 percentage points in one quarter. The hosts discuss the t...

Episode 84 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how distributors can use internal data and simple models to forecast supplier lead times, reducing stockouts and safety stock. They break down a real example: a mid-sized electrical distributor that cut expedited freight costs by 35% by predicting late shipments from its top 20 suppliers. The hosts discuss the role of supp...

Episode 83 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo tackles SKU rationalization — the process of cutting slow-moving or profit-eroding products from a distributor's catalog. Lucas and Luna dive into a real case: a mid-sized industrial distributor that trimmed 1,200 SKUs, reduced warehouse carrying costs by 18 percent, and lifted gross margin by 3.2 percentage points. They discuss the data needed t...