Wholesale distribution is being reshaped by B2B e-commerce, omnichannel fulfillment, AI-driven automation, and consolidation — while distributors absorb geopolitical unrest, inflation, tariff uncertainty, labor shortages, and supply chain volatility. Success in 2026 means balancing aggressive cost control with high service levels.
This ETS overview identifies the five critical supply chain challenges (data silos and poor visibility, inventory inefficiency, omnichannel complexity, supplier and trade risk, cost pressure and compliance) and maps the SAP cloud portfolio that solves them: SAP ERP Cloud as the digital core, Integrated Business Planning, SAP Logistics Management and EWM, Customer Experience and B2B Commerce, Ariba and Business Network, and Business Technology Platform.
It lays out a practical three-phase implementation roadmap — stabilize visibility (30–90 days), optimize inventory and planning (90–180 days), modernize fulfillment and customer experience (180+ days) — with target KPIs and quick wins you can start this week, plus the critical considerations around change management and integration complexity and the evidence base behind the analysis.
The full deck is available above as a PDF. ETS brings deep SAP expertise with a particular focus on wholesale distribution.