The Thomas Blog

12 Sourcing Tips To Identify Quality Suppliers

When most buyers plan on identifying a new supplier, they are usually tempted to focus on the best price. However, concentrating only on low costs can hurt you in the long term. That's because shaving a few cents off the price of a product is no help if the quality is below standard and the component or material does not arrive when you need it.

So instead of solely focusing on cost, focus on quality by incorporating these 12 tips into your sourcing strategy:

10 Stats You Didn't Know About Thomas

Industrial buyers are typically 70% of the way through their purchase decision process before they reach out to a supplier.

If you are a manufacturer trying to grow your business, this is an eye-opening, game-changing stat. It means that the buyers you want to do business with — the ones you need to connect with in order to grow your company — are researching, designing, evaluating, shortlisting, and, ultimately, making their purchase decisions online, all with very limited interaction with your sales people.

How, then, can you forge the connections you need while staying top of mind throughout the long and complex buying process?

Product Sourcing Trends For Q1 2019, As Told By Game Of Thrones

Winter is here (seriously, spring, where are you?), and the first quarter of 2019 is officially over. 

As an industrial company, you are always looking for ways to connect with B2B buyers. But what are those buyers looking for? With less than one week before the final season of Game Of Thrones premieres, we took a look at sourcing activity of some of the most useful elements of Westeros and beyond the wall on the Thomas Network at the end of Q1 to help you answer that question (and possibly win the Game of Thrones).

How Thomas WebTrax Differs From Google Analytics, The Thomas Network & More

More than 11,000 manufacturers are using Thomas WebTrax to turn anonymous website traffic into real, actionable leads for their businesses.

However, we understand that you may still have questions about WebTrax, how it fits in with other Thomas solutions, and how it stacks up to other tools available in the marketplace. Hopefully, this post clears things up and helps you decide which solution works best for your industrial business.

B2B Buying Trends For November 2018

Manufacturers are always searching for ways to connect with more B2B buyers. One of the best ways to do just that is to find out what those B2B buyers are searching for themselves — and we can help.

Supply Chain Trends For October 2018

As an industrial supplier, you are always looking for ways to connect with B2B buyers. But what are those buyers looking for?

Supply Chain Trends For September 2018

Keeping up with the trends and changes that are shaping the supply chain is critical when it comes to marketing to — and connecting with — industrial and B2B buyers. 

Where Are All Your Buyers?

You know exactly who your target customers are. 

You know what you can do for them and why they should choose you over your competition.

As for when you'd like them to contact you? ASAP would be nice. 

The only problem is, you don't know where they all are. 

The good news is that we do — they're part of the Thomas Network on Thomasnet.com.

How To Source Packaging: 3 Proven Tips

No matter what type of business you run or what industry you are in, chances are that you will need to source packaging materials at some point. 

Packaging requirements vary widely, and so do the solutions in the marketplace. For example, simple shipping needs can be addressed with off-the-shelf corrugated boxes, while custom-designed, die-cut folding packaging material may be necessary to withstand volatile shipping environments.

Whatever your packaging needs are, it helps to understand your options. Let’s take a look at three areas of sourcing flexibility to find best performance, price, and supplier.