Contractors Expect Digital Buying Options: Channel Marketing Study

E-commerce must now be part of every electrical distributor's go-to-market strategy, judging from the results of this benchmark study from Channel Marketing Group and BigCommerce. Free download available.

June 18, 2025

2 min read

Channel Marketing Group’s David Gordon has published another benchmarket study on the state of e-commerce in the electrical wholesaling industry. Sponsored by BigCommerce, the survey explored contractor buying habits, distributors’ e-commerce strategies, emerging online sources of supply for electrical products and many other fascinating topics in the digital arena.

The study draws comparisions with the findings of a 2015 CMG study on e-commerce trends and is very definitely worth a close read. It can be downloaded at: https://www.ecommerce4distributors.com/

Gordon shared some key takeaways on the state of e-commerce in the electrical market, including the following:

62% of buyers purchased online in 2025 – up from 45% in 2018
58% of respondents are purchasing materials outside traditional distributor relationships. Over 100 competitors were mentioned by respondents, including Amazon Business, Grainger, Zoro, McMaster-Carr, and Home Depot.
Channel Marketing Group estimates the traditional electrical distribution channel now represented only 56% of total electrical material supply spend in 2024, highlighting the competition for electrical contractor dollars.
Buyers demand 24/7 access across all devices, with 74% ordering from the office, 48% from vehicles, and many from job sites or home.