Price pressure and stricter requirements

Margins are under pressure due to cheap imports and dropshipping. At the same time, laws and regulations like the European EUDR or FSC requirements demand more regarding origin and sustainability.

On top of that, customers no longer see speed, accuracy, and transparency as extras. They see them as a given. For many wholesalers, this requires a new way of organizing. A clear example is found in the garden and home industry. Product information is increasingly supplied via GS1 standards. Wholesalers who have this process under control can introduce new products faster and more reliably. For others, it only leads to extra work and delays.

Information management as your trump card

The difference is no longer in what you deliver, but in how you deliver it. Whoever organizes their information management in a structured, current, and reliable way wins on three fronts:

  • Efficiency: processes run smoother, creating more room for growth.
  • Compliance: new regulations can be met without massive effort.
  • Trust: customers know they can count on the accuracy and relevance of your data.

More and more, that is the deciding factor. It is not the price, but the certainty you offer.

"The distinction is no longer in the product, but in the quality of your data." — Wesley Regtuit, Product Owner at PLGGR

The role of tomorrow

This brings the future into focus: what position do you want to take as a wholesaler? If you mainly keep passing products along, it becomes harder to stand out. But if you choose to become the director of data and processes, you create extra value in the chain.

The wholesaler of tomorrow is not necessarily the cheapest, but the one who is the most reliable and agile.

Ownership as a strategy

The step toward that position starts with ownership: taking control of your information management, from product data to order flows. This makes you less dependent on price pressure and more distinctive through reliability. In a market where everything looks the same, ownership is the difference that determines relevance.