Why Better Technology and Data is the Key to the Future of Electrical Distribution with Scott Wagner

The electrical distribution industry is facing a talent epidemic and an AI revolution at the same time. With 10,000 boomers retiring daily, how can distributors do more work with fewer people? In this episode of Frictionless Commerce, host Matt Johnson sits down with Scott Wagner of NAED's Digital Center of Excellence and Chantal Schweizer from Pivotree to tackle the biggest challenges in the industry. We reveal why the old "green screen" ERPs won't attract Gen Z, how an "AI sidekick" can shorten the 2-year training curve, and why your "Swiss cheese" data is holding back your entire AI and commerce strategy. 🎙️ ABOUT OUR GUESTS Scott Wagner: From NAED's Digital Center of Excellence, Scott is a 36-year industry veteran who has worked everything from the trade floor to counter sales to manufacturing. He's now leading the charge for digital adoption across the industry. Scott's LinkedIn:   / oldbay444   Learn more about NAED: https://www.naed.org/dcoe Chantal Schweizer: Practice Director of Strategic Data Services at Pivotree, Chantal got her start at Grainger and Schneider Electric. She is a data expert who is on the front lines of building the foundation for modern commerce. Chantal's LinkedIn:   / chantal-schweizer   ⏳ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Welcome to Frictionless Commerce 01:38 - Meet Scott Wagner: 36 Years in Electrical Distribution 03:27 - Meet Chantal Schweizer: From Grainger to Data Strategy 06:00 - The 2 Big Rocks: Electrification & the Workforce Challenge 07:30 - The Talent Epidemic: Why It Takes 2 Years to Train a Counter Rep 14:42 - The "Green Screen" Problem: Attracting Gen Z to the Industry 19:00 - Meeting the New B2B Buyer (and Their B2C Expectations) 25:15 - The "Agentic Commerce" Future (and the Data It Needs) 27:56 - Your "AI Sidekick": Shortening the Learning Curve 31:48 - The State of Data: Why Is It "Totally Swiss Cheese"? 36:15 - The "Catch-22" of eCommerce & Data Investment 42:45 - The #1 Thing Distributors Should Do Next Week 🚀 ABOUT PIVOTREE Are you ready to tackle your data, AI, and commerce challenges? Pivotree helps electrical distributors build the foundation for a truly frictionless future. We do the heavy lifting to clean, enrich, and govern your product data (PIM/MDM) so you can launch modern commerce experiences and power the AI tools that will define the next generation. Stop letting bad data hold you back. Learn how Pivotree can help: https://www.pivotree.com/services/by-... #ElectricalDistribution #DigitalTransformation #AI #DataManagement #FrictionlessCommerce #Workforce #NAED