Dancing with the Gorilla: A Guide to Thriving in the Age of Amazon Business

Let’s be honest. For years, the 800-pound gorilla has been sitting in the corner of our warehouse. At first, we might have ignored it. Then we watched it with suspicion. Now, it’s eating a good portion of the industry’s lunch. 

That gorilla, of course, is Amazon Business. 

With its one-click ordering, next-day delivery, and an “endless aisle” of products, Amazon has become a disruptive behemoth in the facility solutions space. For the traditional Manufacturer-Distributor partnership, its arrival can feel like an existential threat. The panic is understandable. How can our trusted, relationship-based model possibly compete with a global tech giant’s raw efficiency? 

The answer is simple: you don’t fight a gorilla on its terms. You don’t try to out-gorilla the gorilla. Instead, you dance. You become more agile, more intelligent, and you offer something the gorilla physically cannot: a human touch and a strategic mind. 

THE GORILLA’S STRENGTHS (AND WHY WE CAN’T IGNORE THEM) 

First, let’s give credit where it’s due. Amazon Business excels at transactions involving low-complexity, high-velocity products. When a small business owner knows they need exactly three cases of 9-inch jumbo bath tissue rolls and they need them tomorrow, it’s hard to beat the frictionless convenience of Amazon. They offer: 

• Speed: Prime delivery is a powerful force. 

• Selection: A vast marketplace of products. 

• Simplicity: Easy, intuitive ordering for known items. 

Trying to compete purely on the speed of delivering a single, simple box is an exhausting, losing battle. The good news? That’s not where the real value in our industry is. 

THE GORILLA’S BLIND SPOT: YOUR GREATEST ADVANTAGE 

A gorilla is powerful, but it’s not a consultant. It’s not a problem-solver. It can’t walk into a facility, diagnose a problem, and design a solution. This is where the MFR-Distributor duo can, and must, shine. 

The secret is to stop selling products and start selling outcomes. 

• Amazon sells a case of paper towels. The Partnership sells reduced labor costs by introducing a high-capacity dispenser system that cuts refill trips in half. 

• Amazon sells a bottle of floor cleaner. The Partnership provides on-site staff training on proper chemical usage and safety, reducing liability and ensuring better results. 

• Amazon sells a smart soap dispenser. The Partnership installs, programs, and maintains that dispenser, providing the facility manager with actionable data on restroom usage and hygiene compliance. 

Amazon is in the business of logistics. You are in the business of expertise. While they are busy optimizing the supply chain for a single box, you should be optimizing your customer’s entire operation. This is your “value moat,” and it’s one a tech giant can’t easily cross. 

RIDING THE GORILLA? USING AMAZON AS A TOOL 

Here’s the most interesting twist: Amazon doesn’t have to be just the enemy. For savvy players, it can also be a tool. 

• For Manufacturers: Selling on Amazon’s 3rd-party marketplace is no longer a fringe idea. It’s a strategy for brand control. If your products aren’t listed by you or your authorized partners, they will be listed by unauthorized resellers, often with incorrect information and chaotic pricing. Being on the platform allows you to control the narrative, manage your brand’s digital shelf space, and reach a segment of the market that may not be buying through traditional channels. 

• For Distributors: Instead of seeing Amazon as a competitor for every single item, see it as a potential utility. You can become the authorized 3rd-party seller for your manufacturing partners, using your logistical expertise to win in that arena. Or, you can strategically cede the “single-box-of-staples” order to Amazon, freeing up your team’s time to focus on the high-value, consultative sales that truly build customer loyalty and profitability. 

THE ACTION PLAN: HOW TO DANCE, NOT FIGHT 

This isn’t about ignoring Amazon; it’s about building a business model that is “Amazon-proof.” 

For Manufacturers: 

1. Arm Your Partners: Stop just sending spec sheets. Provide your distributors with Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculators, training modules on solution-selling, and marketing materials that highlight the value beyond the box price. 
2. Innovate with Services in Mind: Design products that require expertise. Smart systems, connected devices, and sustainable solutions that require a consultative approach are naturally resistant to being sold like simple commodities. 
3. Create a Clear Channel Strategy: Be transparent with your distributor partners about your Amazon strategy. A unified front is far more powerful than internal conflict. 

For Distributors: 

1. Lead with a Facility Audit, Not a Catalog: Your first question to a client should be, “What are your biggest operational headaches?” not “What do you need to order?” Solve problems, don’t just take orders. 
2. Double Down on Service: Offer services Amazon will never be able to replicate: dispenser installation and repair, vendor-managed inventory (VMI), on-site training, and true, same-day emergency deliveries from a local warehouse. 
3. Embrace E-Commerce: You can’t complain about Amazon’s convenience if your own website is clunky and difficult to use. Invest in a simple, user-friendly portal for your customers to place easy re-orders, freeing up your sales team to hunt for bigger opportunities. 

Ultimately, the goal is not to try and beat the gorilla in a contest of brute strength. The goal is to build a relationship-based, expertise-driven business that is so agile and so valuable that the gorilla simply can’t compete. Let them have the simple transaction; you can win the lifelong customer.