[Podcast Episode 6] The Uneven Demand Problem in Medical & Life Sciences Distribution

The latest episode of B2B Reimagined is an especially timely one. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment (PPE) and vaccine research materials have seen demand go through the roof, coupled with supply chain bottlenecks that are making it tough for distributors to fill orders. On the other hand, the pandemic has temporarily closed the door on most university labs and suspended revenue-rich procedures like elective surgeries at hospitals. So while some distributors are having trouble meeting demand, others are left with massive amounts of inventory they can’t move. 

Price is deeply impacted when working with these two extremes. Download the podcast to hear Zilliant Vice President of Customer Success and Support Rick Chappel and Mick Naughton, a sales director with over 13 years of experience in the medical and life sciences industry, discuss recent trends and concrete strategies for dealing with uneven demand.

They also discuss:

• The increasing role of eCommerce in medical and life sciences distribution in the era of social distancing and how to align price across channels.
• The rising and unpredictable costs associated with ongoing supply chain disruption.
• The importance in the current environment of PPE scarcity to not be perceived as price gouging, while still accounting for cost increases and differentiation around different types of customers. 
• Data science-driven near-term tactics to improve customer segmentation, quoting and price consistency, as well as long-term strategies for a well-managed recovery.

Listen now on any one of these podcast players:

About the Author

Mick Naughton, M.S., MBA, is a sales director at Zilliant where he helps global B2B companies realize improved financial performance using advanced technology. Prior to joining Zilliant Mick spent 20 years in the life sciences industry in a variety of pricing, sales and technology roles.

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