Less than 5 years ago, the question of whether distributors needed to target consumers over mobile applications was easy: No need…a waste of time and money. Today, the question is not whether distributors need to “go mobile”; the question is “Is it too late?” With the explosion of mobile applications — comprising of nearly 50% of sales orders globally — distributors worldwide have made an aggressive move to market their product catalogs over mobile devices. Specifically, 50% of adults in the United States have a smartphone, while another 25% have tablet computers.The challenge is that some businesses have already established a robust mobile presence and have begun to reap the benefits: increased sales, customer loyalty with repeat business, and a new customer base comprised of the tech-savvy Generation Y group. Distributors with a strong mobile solution can enable their customers to shop and compare products, view inventory and pricing details, and track order status from any mobile application. Better yet, their mobile framework is fully integrated with their ERP, CRM and product catalogs. With the attrition rate of mobile applications continue to skyrocketing, there’s still time to get on board with a proven mobile solution…but the clock is ticking..