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

Episode 32 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo examines blanket purchase orders — a procurement tool that distributors and suppliers use to secure volume commitments without releasing all inventory at once. Lucas walks through a concrete example: a mid-sized electrical distributor that used blanket orders with a wire manufacturer to stabilize pricing across a volatile copper market, reducing...

Episode 31 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo digs into a counterintuitive strategy: squeezing cash from slow-moving inventory. Lucas and Luna walk through a real case involving a Midwestern HVAC distributor that freed up $2.3 million by systematically pruning D-items — inventory that sits untouched for over a year. They unpack the ABC-XYZ classification matrix, explain why many distributors...

In episode 30, Lucas and Luna dive into inventory slotting — the science of where you put products in a warehouse. Lucas breaks down how a mid-sized electrical distributor saved 22 percent on picking labor just by rearranging 40 percent of its SKUs based on velocity and cube. He explains the concept of the 'golden zone' (waist-high shelves), the Pareto principle for slotting, and why slotting opti...

Episode 29 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores how distributors are using data clean rooms to share customer and sales data with suppliers and customers without risking privacy or competitive leaks. Lucas and Luna walk through a real example: a mid-sized industrial distributor that used a clean room with three major suppliers to run joint demand forecasting without exposing individua...

Episode 28 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores how distributors are shifting from traditional forecast-based planning to demand sensing—using real-time data like point-of-sale scans, weather patterns, and even social media trends to predict what customers will order days ahead. Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example: a regional HVAC distributor that cut emergency stockouts by...

In this episode of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how distributors are turning to reverse auctions to slash procurement costs. Lucas breaks down a real-world case: a mid-sized electrical distributor saved 8.5% on wire and cable purchases by running a reverse auction among five pre-qualified suppliers. They discuss the specific mechanics — how suppliers bid down in re...

Episode 26 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores how distributors are outsourcing logistics to third-party providers to grow beyond their own warehouse walls. Lucas and Luna break down the strategy behind 3PL partnerships, using a real mid-sized electrical distributor that doubled its service area without buying a single rack. They discuss when to make the leap, how to vet partners, an...

Episode 25 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo dives into the surprisingly large chunk of profit that distributors leave on the table every year through unclaimed supplier rebates. Lucas and Luna break down real numbers from a 2025 industry survey showing that the average mid-size distributor leaves over $400,000 in uncollected rebate income annually. They walk through the specific bottleneck...

In this episode of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies — a critical tool distributors use to protect margins and brand value. They break down how MAP works, why manufacturers enforce it, and the real-world consequences for distributors who break the rules. Lucas shares a concrete example: a mid-sized electronics distributor that l...

In Episode 23, Lucas and Luna explore how B2B distributors use consignment inventory agreements to win large accounts without tying up capital. They break down a real example: a mid-sized HVAC distributor that placed $2 million worth of parts in a national contractor's warehouse, paid only when the contractor used them. The hosts discuss the risks—slow turns, damaged goods, pricing disputes—and th...

This episode explores how distributors are using supply chain finance programs to manage the cash flow gap between paying suppliers and getting paid by customers. Lucas and Luna break down a real-world example from a mid-sized industrial distributor that used a reverse factoring program to extend payment terms with suppliers while offering early payment options to customers. They discuss the mecha...

In this episode of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how cross-docking is transforming B2B logistics. Instead of storing goods for weeks, distributors like McLane Company move incoming shipments directly to outbound trucks, slashing warehousing costs and cutting delivery times in half. Lucas breaks down the key requirements: real-time data systems, tight supplier coordi...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how B2B distributors leverage cooperative advertising—co-op funds from suppliers—to secure prime shelf space and drive demand. They break down the mechanics: how co-op programs work, the typical 2-4% of sales that suppliers allocate, and why many distributors leave millions on the table. The hosts walk through a real example: a regional HVAC distributor that...

Slotting fees are typically associated with retail grocery, but a growing number of B2B distributors are adopting them to manage shelf space in their warehouses and catalogs. Lucas and Luna dig into the mechanics—how a mid-sized electrical distributor in Ohio charges suppliers $500 per SKU to stock a new item, and what that means for supplier relationships and inventory efficiency. They discuss th...

Episode 18 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores dynamic pricing in B2B distribution. Lucas and Luna break down how a mid-sized electrical distributor — let's call them Allied Electrical — used dynamic pricing algorithms to boost gross margins by 3.2 percentage points over 18 months without alienating their core base of contractor customers. They walk through the key distinction betwee...

Episode 17 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo dives into Electronic Data Interchange, or EDI — the behind-the-scenes system that lets distributors, suppliers, and retailers exchange purchase orders, invoices, and shipping notices automatically. Lucas and Luna break down why EDI is non-negotiable for landing big-box retail accounts like Walmart and Target, how smaller distributors can get sta...

Episode 16 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo dives into customer profitability analysis (CPA) — a data-driven method that helps B2B distributors identify which accounts actually generate profit and which are quietly eroding margins. Lucas and Luna break down a real example from a midwest industrial distributor that used CPA to uncover that 20% of its customers were contributing 80% of profi...

Episode 15 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores how vendor-managed inventory (VMI) is reshaping B2B supply chains. Lucas and Luna break down a real case: a mid-sized industrial distributor who cut stockouts by 40% and reduced carrying costs by 18% after implementing VMI with a key supplier. They discuss the data-sharing requirements, the trust threshold needed to hand over ordering de...

Episode 14 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo dives into drop shipping as a strategic tool for B2B distributors. Lucas and Luna break down how a mid-sized industrial parts distributor in Ohio used drop shipping to add 1,200 SKUs without holding inventory, growing revenue by 18% in 2025. They explore the margin trade-offs, the technology stack needed, and why drop shipping is not a one-size-f...

Episode 13 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo explores how B2B distributors implement tiered pricing structures to reward volume and loyalty without driving away smaller customers. Lucas and Luna break down the economics behind a real-world example: a mid-sized industrial distributor that shifted from a flat 20% margin to a three-tier model based on annual spend. They discuss the psychologic...

Episode 12 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo: B2B Trade, Suppliers, and Channel Partners. Lucas and Luna explore how distributors leverage supplier scorecards to measure performance, negotiate better terms, and strengthen partnerships. They dive into a real-world case where a mid-sized electrical distributor used on-time delivery and defect-rate metrics to reduce lead times by 30% and cut c...

Episode 11 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo dives into price escalator clauses—contractual provisions that let distributors pass cost increases upstream. Lucas breaks down the mechanics using a real-world example from the steel supply chain, where a mid-sized distributor added escalators tied to the HRC index after a raw material spike erased their margin in Q2 2025. Luna challenges whethe...

Episode 10 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna explore how B2B distributors are launching their own private-label brands to capture higher margins, reduce supplier dependency, and differentiate in crowded markets. They dive into the real story of a mid-sized plumbing distributor that launched a private-label line of fittings and grew it to 15% of revenue within three years. Th...

In this episode of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the consignment inventory model—why distributors are increasingly offering it to secure large retail and industrial customers. They walk through a real example: a mid-sized plumbing distributor that landed a major home-improvement chain by stocking $2 million in PVC fittings on the retailer's floor, paid only after...

Episode 8 of Wholesale & Distribution with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna break down how B2B distributors can push back when suppliers announce price increases. Using the example of a mid-size industrial distributor that faced a 12 percent hike from a major tool supplier in Q1 2026, they walk through three concrete tactics: requesting cost breakdowns, leveraging volume commitments, and timing negotiation...