Latest insights

Volatile input prices, supply-chain shocks and a customer base that still values face-to-face advice make field sales the make-or-break channel for building and hardware-focused wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers. Yet too many B2B building and hardware sales reps still juggle paper catalogues, outdated price lists and after-hours admin. This whitepaper outlines a practical, five-pillar framework, backed by data and real-world customer results, to turn an old-school sales field force into a modern revenue engine, powered by Skynamo’s mobile-first platform. Related: Digital transformation of building &

If you’re in the building and hardware sector in South Africa, whether you’re distributing, importing, wholesaling, or manufacturing, you’ll know it’s not business as usual anymore. Digital transformation in building and hardware has hit like a ton of bricks. It used to be simple. A handshake sealed the deal. Stock was ordered on a phone call. Sales reps jotted down notes in battered notebooks. Catalogues with frayed and worn edges were guarded like gold. But today? The industry is moving at a speed that demands more than tradition, it demands transformation. Related: The top sales software and ordering app for

For that reason, we build differently There is something special about Heritage Month. You can hear the braais sizzling, the eish clinking, and the hadedas hadeda-ing. These are the sounds that call us to come together. As the whole country physically and metaphorically seems to thaw from the winter season, we celebrate and honour our South Africanness. Over the past year, many notable South Africans have continued to thrive on the field, on our screens, and in our hearts. But what does this South Africanness look like? Not from the perspective of the headlines, but rather, that of the bottom line? Local is still

Building material suppliers have a lot on their plates – and those plates are only about to get heavier. The global building and materials industry has been growing at a rate of 5% and is projected to top $400 billion by 2030. Forward-thinking companies that level up their operations with a top-tier sales CRM stand to rake in more of that dough than those that don’t. From managing shipping, payments, and inventory to dealing with customers and identifying user behavior, a lot goes into turning a profit. Traditionally, much of this work has been done manually. Though it works fine, it’s a huge drain on time, labor,

The pandemic changed the way we live, work, and conduct business. This is particularly true for the restaurant industry. While most businesses were forced to close their doors indefinitely, restaurants and other food and beverage establishments were able to survive – thanks to mobile ordering apps. The ability to order food online granted safety and convenience to customers. Though other industries have reopened their doors to resume business as normal, customers still hugely appreciate the benefits of their beloved mobile ordering apps. The best part of it all? Customers and the restaurant industry are far from the

It seems we’ve traded old pandemic-induced economic blows for new Russo-Ukrainian War-induced supply chain disruptions. Add in mounting global inflation and you’ll get a world faced with higher prices for harder-to-find goods. Chief among those suffering from supply chain disruptions the most are building and hardware distributors and manufacturers. Top causes of supply chain disruptions It all started with COVID-19. The lockdowns prevented people from going to work and, in turn, rendered many factories and plants idle. Faced with safety regulations and a lack of products, businesses had to suspend their operations –

Skynamo – the leading provider of field sales software for distributors, manufacturers, and wholesalers in the building materials and hardware industry – carried out an extensive survey. The point of the research was straightforward enough. It was to uncover the truth about what B2B sales companies struggle with. What works for them from a technology and sales point of view, And how they fare in this post-pandemic marketplace. To do this, Skynamo’s research team referenced hundreds of manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors around the world. All had two things in common: They have B2B sales reps who slog it out

Following South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that the fourth wave of COVID-19 is expected to begin in December, many businesses face uncertainty. This is compounded with the issue of supply-chain disruption which the pandemic has wrought worldwide. Sam Clarkeis the CEO at Skynamo, a customer relationship management (CRM) mobile app for field sales teams. He says that now is the time for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit ahead of the festive season to weather the storm once more. “SMEs are creative and resilient by nature. This, combined with being

…and it’s not all bad news. Skynamo has just released its one-of-a-kind global field sales report. Skynamo, the leaders in field sales technology, are constantly seeking to understand the industries they serve. This includes a large number of building and hardware companies. For this reason, they carried out extensive research recently, resulting in the benchmark report. Why is this good for us in the building industry? This benchmark report gives some surprising insights into how our sales teams compare in terms of challenges, technology used, and sales rep productivity. There is also some insight into the state of

Aggregated monthly sales data from over 600 South African companies reports that 20 business sectors outperformed the pre-Covid first quarter of 2020. Numerous business sectors saw increased order volumes in the first half of 2021 with larger order values, as consumer confidence grew amidst the pandemic. Of the 26 sectors monitored, 20 exceeded pre-lockdown average order values in the first three months of 2021 Despite the tough economy, Skynamo saw an overall increase both in the number of orders placed via its platform and in the value size of these orders across its customer base in the first half of 2021. South