Miami-based Watsco Inc. is out to change the way its market does business.
And it intends to do change how the market does business through digital transformation and B2B ecommerce. In the last 12 months, Watsco has spent more than $50 million on new investments in technology, the company says.
Watsco is one of the largest distributors of heating, electrical and air conditioning equipment (HVAC).
Watsco’s ecommerce journey
“Our technology platforms, which are unique to the industry, have transformed nearly every aspect of our business,” CEO Albert Nahmad says. “Consistent with our long-term focus, we remain committed to investing more over time as we believe these platforms provide a distinct, long-term competitive advantage.”
Today, ecommerce now represents more than a third of all Watsco sales. Watsco’s annual digital sales exceed $2.3 billion.
“We have immense technology advantage, and we are investing to grow with that advantage,” Nahmad told analysts on a recent earnings call, based on a transcript from SeekingAlpha.com. “Our mobile preference and ecommerce channels have increased customer engagement, reduced attrition, created market share gains and supported our margin expansion in recent years.”
Watsco says it using ecommerce and digital transformation to achieve:
- Achieve ordering and pickup in minutes and not hours.
- Make sales reps more proactive and consultative vs. being order takers.
- Use digital commerce resources to focus on higher margin-generating activities.
“All of these catalysts will benefit the industry in the coming years, and we certainly believe our scale, technology and financial strength positions us to capture these market opportunities,” Nahmad told analysts.
Sign up
Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn and be the first to know when we publish Digital Commerce 360 B2B News content.
Favorite