The Thomas Blog

How To Become A Defense Supplier

Did you know that the Department of Defense (DoD) spends more than 60 percent of the federal procurement budget eligible for small businesses? In the 2017 fiscal year, DoD awarded more than $60 billion in prime contracts to small businesses.

From anonymized sourcing activity across Thomasnet.com, Thomas Industrial Data shows the Aerospace & Defense Industry is a rapidly evolving field. Continued military spending growth is a sign for suppliers to secure ongoing business and tap into new market opportunities — but today, businesses continue to shift in their sourcing as they pivot to help the country combat COVID-19. Read on to learn how you can become a part of the solution.

Opportunities For Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturers

In 2019, lithium-ion sourcing activity on Thomasnet.com soared, and the B2B buyer data showed the top two industries driving the trend were software and technology, and healthcare and medical. Today, there are three major lithium-ion battery markets: transportation, electronic devices, and industrial stationary. 

Technology is at the core of the transition, and the next few years will bring significant changes to the industry.

A 2022 Ecommerce Website Checklist For Distributors

According to IBM, 80% of B2B buyers now expect the same buying experience as B2C customers. 

Earlier this month, we showcased six B2B ecommerce website examples to help you get more sales and create a better online experience for customers. To take your lead generation efforts further, we’re outlining a beginner’s ecommerce website checklist to make sure your customers give you repeat business.

How To Get More Sales With Optimized Product Webpages

All roads lead to your product pages. They are, arguably, some of the most important pages on your entire site.

You’ve already attracted and educated prospective buyers, you’ve had positive interactions with them — now they’re on your product page, on the verge of transitioning from “prospect” to “customer.” But will your product page, as it is, secure the conversion?

Luckily, as with all things in the digital realm, your product pages can be optimized. There are several best practices for product pages that will help you to increase conversion rates — here are three that you can implement immediately:

6 B2B Ecommerce Website Examples To Help You Sell More In 2021

Today, if you want to sell direct to consumers, you need to create a smooth online user experience that instills feelings of trust in your products and services. For industrial distributors, this means designing their website to include a comprehensive, digital product catalog. Engineers and sourcing professionals expect the websites they do business with to provide the same experience as personal shopping websites like Amazon or Target.

The Evolution Of 3D Printing

From reducing costs to increasing efficiency to spurring innovation, many people are excited about the impact that 3D printing will have on the future of manufacturing. However, the truth is, it already has made a significant impact on the industry.

Take a look back at the evolution of 3D printing to see how the phenomenon started and how it has helped the manufacturing industry evolve.

8 Reasons It’s Great To Work In Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is one of the largest and most influential sectors of the United States economy. According to ACS estimates, the number of people employed in the Manufacturing Industry Sub-Sector has been growing at a rate of 0.41%, from 15.4M people in 2017 to 15.5M people in 2018.

But what is it like for the millions of people who actually work in the industry? The truth is, it's pretty fantastic. Here are some reasons why:  

How A Manufacturer's Logo Design Engages Buyers

Think of some household items you often use — Bounty paper towels, Dawn dish soap, Jif’s peanut butter? The products are almost synonymous with the company name. 

Building this recognition takes time and effort with brand marketing, but goes a long way in establishing trust with prospects and customers. In some cases, the first impression a prospect sees of your brand will be through your logo — so first impressions matter. Here are a few reasons why a manufacturer’s logo’s visual elements make a difference for growth.

For Manufacturers: How Sales & Marketing Pros Can Build Effective Email Prospect Lists

Email marketing continues to be one of the top tactics used by marketers to stay connected with customers and build relationships with new ones. According to Campaign Monitor, email marketing has the highest return on investment for small businesses.

While there are a number of factors that go into a high-performing email, what’s key is a good email prospect list.

Here are basic steps manufacturers and industrials can follow to build an effective prospect list for email marketing campaigns.