2 minute read
Research
by OPI
Tear UP the RULEBOOK
There is no doubt that all former paradigms are well and truly broken when it comes to how the US workplace operates today.
Companies around the country have reduced staffing levels, moved some or all workers to homeworking and reorganised, downsized or even disposed of their office space. While this has been going on, most aspects of digitisation – already in progress for many years – have been supercharged.
It’s highly doubtful there will be much rowing back from the position we have now reached, since many of the changes – organisational, technological and cultural – are expected to be largely irreversible. Indeed, they may simply be the prelude for further changes ahead.
INDUSTRY RAMIFICATIONS
What does all of this mean for the US business supplies industry? Companies will likely buy different business supplies categories and items, in different quantities, in different ways, from different sources. With many of their staff working totally – or partially – from home, their purchasing and servicing requirements will also have altered.
What is needed is a comprehensive insight into not only how these US companies are organised currently, what business supplies items they are buying and where they are buying them from, but also what buyers want from their suppliers – now and going forward.
The US Business Products Consumer: Trends and Behaviours in 2022-23 is a new research report by OPI and Martin Wilde
To order your copy of this research report, visit www. opi.net/trends2022
Associates. It’s based on 400 in-depth interviews with business supplies buyers in a range of US company size brackets, regions and broad activities. The focus is on investigating a number of critical factors, now and into 2023:
• What are US businesses’ current and expected future operations? What are the trends in sales volumes, staffing levels and the extent of homeworking? • What kind of spend and budgets are now being set for business supplies purchasing? How much of this is for items destined for home use by employees? What are the average order values for business supplies purchases in 2022 and 2023? By what method and how frequently are these orders being placed? • What types of business supplies are being purchased currently? Are any items being bought more or less, and are buyers looking for entirely new items? • What sources are being used to purchase business supplies? Are new suppliers being added or old ones being dropped? What are the trends towards supplier consolidation?
Which sources are being used to supply home-based workers? • What requirements do purchasers have of their business products suppliers? What kind of contact do they prefer to have and how frequently do they want it?
To be published in November 2022, The US Business Products Consumer: Trends and Behaviours in 2022-23 will provide answers to these vital questions. Make sure your organisation is in the best position possible to plan for, adjust to and thrive in the future. In order to do that, it’s vital to really understand the US workplace of today.
