Barry Litwin, CEO, Global Industrial Co..

Global Industrial Co., a billion-dollar distributor of industrial and maintenance, repair operations (MRO) products and services, finished 2021 with record gross profit margins as annual sales grew 3.3% to $1.06 billion. The company, where ecommerce orders accounted for 56% of total transactions last year, is following a multipronged strategy of improving supply chains and customer accounts as well as ongoing investment in digital commerce to increase profits even among recent market pressures posed by the pandemic.

CEO Barry Litwin, in a keynote fireside chat at EnvisionB2B in June in Chicago, will discuss how Global Industrial is building out its customer-centric strategy through personalized commerce and enriched content tailored to the needs of individual customers. Litwin’s keynote, “Building a Multifaceted Strategy for Multichannel Growth,” is scheduled for Friday, June 10, 9:30-10 a.m. Central Time.

Core to that strategy is the company’s ACE (accelerate the customer experience) program, which drives ongoing improvement in how Global Industrial interacts with and serves its customers across industrial, commercial and public sector markets.

“As we move into 2022, our ACE focus is one of continued investment and execution that we believe will allow us to expand market share and capitalize on our growth opportunity” Litwin says.  Global Industrial says it has access to more than 100,000 public sector buyers through its group purchasing organization relationship.

“On the digital front, Global Industrial is committed to remaining a leader in digital transformation,” Litwin says. “It’s our mission to offer our customers a modern, informative, and friction-free user experience across all digital channels. We are currently developing a new website platform with a completely updated user experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile. With additional features, personalization, a new look and feel, and navigation.”

Global Industrial has also deployed The Knowledge Center, an educational content section on GlobalIndustrial.com that contains online articles that appeal to the distributor’s customers. Subject matter experts and vendors write articles to educate and inform customers in search of solutions. For example, during the beginning of the pandemic, customers searched for such topics as sanitation and maintenance. Other articles address such subjects as trucking industry challenges or offer takeaways on digital innovation from Walmart’s chief technology officer Suresh Kumar.

To improve supply chain operations, Global Industrial launched in 2020 a vendor portal, where it shares information with suppliers on customer demand and other matters to help suppliers manage their production and fulfillment operations.

Litwin, a veteran of B2B and retail ecommerce, was appointed CEO of Global Industrial in 2019 (when it was still known as Systemax Inc.) and has served on the board of directors since 2017. Prior to Global Industrial, he was CEO of Adorama Inc., a multichannel retailer of professional camera, audio, and video equipment. He has also served in executive roles overseeing the ecommerce businesses and digital strategy for Sears Holdings Inc., Office Depot, and Newark Electronics Inc. In addition, Barry has served as an advisor to several early-stage technology companies. He graduated from Indiana University with a BS degree, and an MBA in Operations from Loyola University, Quinlan School of Business.

About EnvisionB2B—And Why You Should Attend
The EnvisionB2B Conference & Exhibition, presented by Digital Commerce 360, is a new in-person event designed to connect industry leaders with eager B2B professionals and build effective digital strategies that accelerate revenue and growth. This conference will be held from June 8-10 at McCormick Place in Chicago. View our full agenda.

At the event, experienced executives and expert researchers will cover these topics and more:

• Acquiring and Retaining Online Customers
• Ecommerce Technology and Digital Transformation
• Building and Expanding Enterprise-Wide Digital Commerce
• Manufacturer-Distributor Channel Strategies
• Market Disruptions
• B2B Marketplaces

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