Service and return

What do we actually need trade for? Everyone who works in this industry or its environ­ment has probably been asked this question by friends at some time. And then you start reeling off the usual arguments: the wide range on offer, guaranteeing quick supply from large stock levels, and, yes, of course the professional advice. It's possible to get this across more or less convincingly, refuting the common opinion that trade is only there to rake in fat margins (which some say is obvious by the major discounts often given) and doesn't offer much else.
But what if this question is asked in the industry, in trade itself: what do we still need trade for? I was recently witness to this sacrilege being committed in a small circle of representatives from trade and industry. Once the question had been asked out loud it could no longer be ignored.
What does trade stand for when goods can reach the customer without it, even similarly quickly, often with good advice, and also after being selected from a range of products that is much much greater than that of a trader? That is namely today's reality. Today, when the Internet is omnipresent, together with the business opportunities it brings along with it. In our case, that means: the large generalist with the capital A, the many specialists with their famous long tail, enabling them to provide an enormous range of choice and, more increasingly - and we're treading on delicate ground now - manufacturers whose actual task is supposed to be supplying to trade and nothing else. 

That's how trade sees it anyhow. But it's getting harder and harder for trade to defend its position. Larger (and smaller) manufacturers have long since been gaining experience in marketing directly to consumers.
For a long time, DIY retailers have struggled to react with a reasonable strategy in their rivalry with the pure online players. Now it's more urgent than ever that they defend themselves against the unpleasant question: exactly what service do they offer which justifies being rewarded by customers and suppliers?
It's not as if there aren't any good arguments in their favour.
Rainer Strnad
P.S.: The editors of DIY International are starting a major reader survey. You can find it as a supplement to this…