E-commerce is a hot topic all over the world. It has brought about changes not only in business but also in our daily lives. The convenience of having products delivered to your doorstep without any hassle has made such online platforms increasingly popular in the B2B space as well. Therefore, technology has undoubtedly inculcated new behaviors and preferences among organizations, resulting in better and more effective professional excellence.
In an exclusive interview with CRN India, Sundaresan K, Vice President and Country General Manager of High Growth Technologies, Tech Data, spoke about how e-commerce has played a key role in transforming the business. He also said that Tech Data, one of the country’s leading IT distributors, will support channel partners and vendors through a strategic partnership with Peer Connexions to enable them to adopt digital business practices. I emphasized what I was aiming for.
Would you like to tell us a little more about Peer Connexions’ innovative B2B e-commerce solution? What are its advantages over traditional channel models?
Peer Connexions is a B2B e-commerce solution that unites global brands, their distributors, independent sellers, and resellers on one platform, enabling real-time information sharing, transactions, and automated workflows.
While most e-commerce platforms deal with the B2C space, Peer Connexions is introducing a business-to-business (B2B) platform specifically for the IT channel industry.
E-commerce is a key contributor to the digital transformation of any business. Therefore, created by the best minds in the distribution industry who have faced and understood the on-the-ground nuances of distribution channels, this platform creates a seamless and hassle-free flow of the value chain from vendors to distributors to partners. I’m focusing on that. -Free way. It is built to allow the channel to address an absolute need while keeping the partner community in mind.
Many partners may now have an online presence and an e-commerce gateway. However, the platform provides partner organizations with access to a single window, allowing all channel partners to establish a digital presence and expand the reach of their distribution network. Therefore, having everything under one roof is a different route to market compared to traditional channels. Through this, he strives to drive the digital transformation journey of his IT channels in India and benefit its partners.
How is Tech Data helping to transform traditional channel models?
There are multiple things we are working on around the world. Our digital transformation journey is at various stages in each region, including the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Japan.
We seek to bring to India the best practices that have contributed to the success of e-commerce in various regions to accelerate digital transformation in the subcontinent. Like Peer Connexions, we have our own cloud platform through which we offer cloud products, provisioning, and services. Additionally, we have a website that provides even more content for our partners.
There will be a revolution when all this comes into a single screen and people have access to a common platform. As a global distributor, we are paving the way to be the market leader and fast mover. The B2B e-commerce platform we have created with Peer Connexions will be beneficial not only to our channel partners but also to the community at large.
The next step is to enable our partners to offer this to their customers through white labeling, making it available to all partners. This is the technology-driven disruption that we are looking to bring to the market, and this is one step towards his partnership with Peer Connexions. Because this platform is very stable, robust, and offers many features that our partners need.
What are some of the current challenges facing partners or OEMs? How does this e-commerce solution benefit both partners and OEMs?
India’s telecommunications and internet boom over the past decade has now connected every corner of the country. Therefore, it is important for vendors to be able to offer their solutions and products to customers across the country.
This is the digital transformation journey we are embarking on. Today, we are still reaching people even in the most remote places, but it is taking longer. This is a pressing challenge that distributors are posing to the channel ecosystem. Through e-commerce platforms, this time is dramatically reduced.
Therefore, we are hopeful that the level of service delivery will be able to penetrate cities like Mumbai and Bangalore and even remote parts of the country.
Another challenge facing channel partners is limited personnel and talent to perform tasks. With limited resources to deploy, this acts as a force multiplier for them, just as distribution is a force multiplier for vendors, and e-commerce platforms can empower their channel partners’ digitalization efforts. You can double it.
As you say, there are many small cities and remote areas in this country where the IT channel is not very strong. What would you like to add about how e-commerce can help address this challenge and strengthen IT channels?
First of all, the outbreak of the pandemic created a reverse concentration effect. Many returned to their hometowns in second- and third-tier cities and took up remote employment opportunities. Technology solutions, therefore, allow people to work from anywhere, to become part of larger organizations and workforces, and to achieve most of the results they could have achieved without moving to large cities. became. This highlights the first step towards catering to a broader consumer base.
Secondly, we need a revolution in the B2B space similar to what the Amazons and Flipkarts of the world have brought to the B2C industry, and this is our goal to revolutionize the value chain.
The third aspect is that although the same products and solutions reach customers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, multiple tiers are involved. At the time of delivery, the product may or may not arrive in the intended shape and fashion to the end customer. This digital platform will therefore disrupt the traditional delivery system and bring customers closer to partners and vendors in the best possible way. Therefore, the quality of service and products that we are accustomed to seeing in large cities is maintained in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. This will also further improve the quality of business, allowing each partner in the country to cater to a larger audience and take their business to new heights.
In my opinion, the next 10 years belong to India, to us, so we will grow significantly and every customer will upgrade their lifestyle for the better.
With the partnership between Tech Data and Peer Connexions, what are your plans for next year?
We’re trying to automate it end-to-end and bring everything into one window. So once you reach one of the technical data avenues to market, you’ll have access to everything that technical data has to offer through any platform or any vehicle. That’s the first goal on this list.
For example, when someone accesses Tech Data, Indian websites will also be able to access the Peer Connexions portal. Partners will have access to our cloud platform, content, global solutions, and more. The Peer Connexion platform doesn’t just show you Tech Data’s products and services, it shows you more options to think about, evaluate, and consider. In addition to that, the platform also offers programs that help channel partners understand what is offered by distributors and what is offered to partners.
The platform allows partners to compare product availability across different channels of the market and choose where to buy from, what to buy, and how to buy. This makes a huge difference to their business.
The telecommunications industry also experienced a similar change in business scenario some time ago. At this time, to purchase specific communications equipment or mobile phones, it was necessary to contact a specific company’s retailer or official website. However, all communication devices and related accessories are now available on e-commerce stores like Amazon and Flipkart. These changes also make it easier to operate.
Therefore, our ultimate goal is to make our mark in the online market using a platform like Peer Connexions. One of the features and capabilities of this platform is that it gives us access to a large number of partners that we may not engage with.
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