To pay tribute to members of the middle tier in the beverage alcohol industry, Beverage Wholesaler has put together our first annual Distributor Best Practices Awards. This first year was a success, and we are honoring five companies who have demonstrated innovation in running efficient, successful operations.
LibDib‘s thirst for website innovation earned them a win in our Best Technology Innovation category.
In an era when technology is at the forefront of just about every business plan, technology provider and licensed wholesale distributor LibDib is pushing the boundaries of innovation with its robust online platform. Combining distribution, online ordering, reporting and AI-enabled sales tools, LibDib boasts a data experience that helps both distributors and retailers alike.
LibDib’s Customized Tech Solutions
LibTech is the SaaS division of LibDib, a custom software built by the company in 2023 that other distributors can utilize within their businesses. LibTech works with beverage wholesalers by providing customized solutions for e-commerce, sales collaboration, SKU and supplier data management, and sales analytics.
The new division is gaining traction with mid-sized wholesalers across the country. In 2019, LibDib began licensing their platform to the industry’s second largest wholesaler, RNDC, which has successfully transmitted over $1B of orders.
In early August of this year, LibDib announced that Best Brands, a statewide distribution company in Tennessee, is also leveraging the platform to offer their own online distribution and data experiences.
Now, the company offers online distribution in 15 markets and will expand its footprint with three-to-five more markets by next year. LibDib represents 1,500 suppliers and distributes 15,000 offerings.
One of the main factors that makes LibTech so successful is Artificial Intelligence. “We use a lot of AI to make recommendations in terms of what the buyers are seeing on the platform,” says LibDib co-founder and CEO Cheryl Durzy.
With the amount of personalization that AI offers, each buyer that uses the LibDib platform sees things that are 100% targeted towards them based on their buying and searching behavior, according to Durzy. “There are 100 different attributes that come together to create these algorithms that will serve up when you log in. Whether it’s just starting with the basics like delivery updates or eventually moving up to product recommendations, there’s a lot of AI involved,” she says.
“There are more things that we’re working on, which I’m really excited about,” Durzy continues. “On the supplier’s side, we’re working on being able to help them bump up their page and change the way buyer’s experience their brand. We’re looking to come out with that in 2025.”
Looking at where LibDib’s platform is now and its anticipated future growth, Durzy says she never thought it would become as big as it is now. “When we first started building the platform and started taking on suppliers, I thought our platform would be more focused on the independent supplier and independent buyer. I didn’t anticipate that national chains selling to both on- and off-premise retailers would be interested in working with us,” she notes.
Looking toward the future, Durzy says LibDib will continue to expand its LibTech division. “In partnering with RNDC, we built eRNDC, which is a solid platform. This year, we started partnering with Best Brands Incorporated, taking care of their sales and e-commerce. So now we’re like, what else can we do,” she says.
LibDib continues to talk with other wholesalers about what they can do to help build them a platform. “That’s the next stage of what we’re doing, and it’s fun because we all speak the same language and understand each other,” she says. “So, we continue to partner with other wholesalers and license the technology.”
