North American B2B technology channel distributor sales exceed $85 billion in 2021

According to data from The NPD Group, distributor sales in the North American B2B technology channel (the United States, Canada, and Mexico combined) exceeded $85 billion in 2021, a 5% year-over-year increase. This represents a 6% increase in revenue sales compared to 2019, pre-pandemic , based on NPD’s distributor tracking data.

It is understood that in the B2B technology channel product category sales, hardware sales accounted for 74% of B2B technology distribution revenue last year, an increase of 5% compared with 2020, while software revenue sales increased by 4%. Compared with 2019, hardware and software sales increased by 5% and 10% respectively.

Distribution sales growth was driven by hardware and software categories that support hybrid work models, with a large portion of the workforce working remotely in some capacity. Growth drivers included notebooks (up 15%), docking stations (up 13%), storage and utility management software (up 23%), and monitoring and management software (up 15%). There was also significant growth in commercial displays (up 15%) and monitors (up 9%).

" Record sales in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic drove early refresh demand for some devices like laptops . As we continue into 2022, we may see some normalization in demand," said Mike Crosby, director and B2B technology industry analyst at NPD.

They also said that agility will be key to the industry 's continued success. In the short term, balancing demand fluctuations and supply shortages is a problem that needs to be dealt with . As we look to the future, it will be adapting to more fundamental changes as new business models, such as subscription service models, may change the way companies utilize and pay for technology resources. And those who can maintain current business needs while preparing for future opportunities will prosper.

Compared with B2B, B2C is the business model that most cross-border sellers pay attention to. Especially since the epidemic, many traditional B2B foreign trades have turned to online platform sales. And this year, the cross-border e-commerce industry has also ushered in a stable operation after the peak!

2021

North America

B2B