When we discuss innovation, we are often referring to new products, but sometimes valuable innovation comes in a form that is seemingly less tangible and quantifiable. For business leaders and entrepreneurs, upending the typical approach to people can be a critical factor in your company’s success.

There’s a difference between fads and transformations. Fads wax and wane relatively quickly — whereas transformations leave a lasting mark. The digital revolution is the latter. Although the pandemic rapidly accelerated digital adoption, the writing has been on the wall for decades. Digital is here to stay, and even more than that, it’s the new reality for the chemical and manufacturing industry despite our industry’s hesitance and often outright unwillingness to adopt new technologies.

Like most big businesses, when chemical producers talk about growth, they’re usually talking about expanding market share by selling to more customers or even finding new markets. Simple math, right? More customers = more money. The thing is that finding new customers, while extremely important, also takes a lot of work.

After the last year, anyone who deigns to announce: “Digital is the way of the future!” will be met with an eye-roll and an incredulous “No kidding.” By now, everyone intimately knows that the pandemic forced the world to work remotely last year. Beyond that, we know businesses and consumers alike experienced a new version of what is possible for communications, e-commerce, and — when it comes down to it — managing the global supply chain.

As the world gets smaller, the digital revolution continues to break through borders, simplifying everything from communication and education to sales and fulfillment. eCommerce is transforming the way we do business as well as the way we leverage the global supply chain and optimal efficiency.

As a materials producer, your goal is to serve your customers, build loyalty, and improve profit margins. The challenge is that some customers — typically small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs) — are inherently more difficult to serve because their needs are drastically different from larger companies. Although SMBs comprise as much as 30% of your market share, meeting their needs becomes more time-consuming, and therefore less profitable, so entire markets are served at a lower priority.