Introducing the New Distributors Joining Stock in the Channel

Stock in the Channel has had an excellent year so far in 2021. Partnering with new distributors around the globe is an important part of that success and crucial to our continuing growth. We're delighted to announce that since March 2021, we've onboarded the following suppliers from the UK, Ireland, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand:

  • 4Cabling (AU)
  • Arrow ECS (UK)
  • Atlas Gentech (NZ)
  • AVF Group (UK)
  • CENZ (NZ)
  • Concept Technologies (UK)
  • Dove Electronics (NZ)
  • Duplex Corporate Communications (UK)
  • Eurograph (UK)
  • Go Wireless NZ (NZ)
  • Microwarehouse Ireland (IR)
  • Network Integrators (UK)
  • ORdigiNAL (UK)
  • OT Wholesale (UK)
  • ScanSource (US)
  • Sektor (NZ)
  • Soft Solutions (NZ)
  • TonersPlus Ltd (UK)

4Cabling (AU)

4Cabling is the leading direct-to-consumer manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of cabling, electrical accessories and server racks in Australia. Founded in 2006 and with over 100,000 customers, the company specialises in copper cables, network cables, fibre leads and accessories, network server rack equipment, data and other electrical cabling products.

View 4Cabling

 

Arrow ECS (UK)

Arrow's Enterprise Computing Solutions division addresses specific business needs with complete IT solutions that combine powerful technologies. The company's product portfolio on Stock in the Channel includes categories such as warranty & support extensions, hardware firewalls, and other security and networking-focused product types.

View Arrow ECS

 

Atlas Gentech (NZ)

Atlas Gentech is a New Zealand-based distributor of technology products in the telecommunications, IT infrastructure, and security categories. Its team of 65 includes account managers, technical sales, marketing, technical support, customer support, trade counter and warehouse teams.

View Atlas Gentech

 

AVF Group (UK)

AVF Group is leading supplier of  TV Wall Mounts, TV stands and support systems, and is a distributor of Multibrackets AB, the Swedish digital signage and AV mount specialists. AVF is an experienced company, having founded in Wolverhampton in 1977.

View AVF Group

 

CENZ (NZ)

Computer Enhancements NZ Ltd is an experienced distributor, first established in 1989, and supplies servers, disk arrays, and comms equipment, as well as parts that are harder to find. CENZ supplies HP, IBM, Lenovo, Cisco, Dell EMC and other key brands.

View CENZ

 

Concept Technologies (UK)

One the North West of England's largest IT suppliers, Concept Technologies is a distributor with deep experience, having been in business for over 50 years. The company supplies products across storage, memory, networking and much more to businesses both in the UK and globally.

View Concept Technologies

 

Dove Electronics (NZ)

Dove Electronics is a modern IT distributor with a long history in the New Zealand IT channel. Dove distributes the full range of IT products – supplying products from brands including Brother, Canon and HP – to a customer base throughout New Zealand. The company manages the number of brands it represents to ensure it has full coverage of the product set.

View Dove Electronics

 

Duplex Corporate Communications (UK)

Founded in 2006, Duplex has grown to become a leading global supplier of voice products. The firm's product portfolio includes telephone headsets, deskphones, webcams, conference phones and bespoke manufactured products for the Telecoms industry.

View Duplex

 

Eurograph (UK)

Eurograph is a specialist distributor of compatible and remanufactured inks and toner cartridges. The firm imports all of its own products and holds them at its warehouse in Newport, South Wales. Eurograph was founded in 2007 in response to the growing demand for quality cartridges at competitive prices.

The company supplies products compatible with printers from brands including Dell, Epsom, HP, and Samsung.

View Eurograph

 

Go Wireless NZ (NZ)

Go Wireless NZ strives to be the premier supplier of wireless networking and IoT hardware in New Zealand and the South Pacific. The company stocks over 2,000 products and has over 60 global vendors. A partnership with Streakwave USA that began in 2013 has enabled Go Wireless NZ to get access to innovations that wouldn't otherwise have been available in New Zealand.

View Go Wireless NZ

 

MicroWarehouse Ireland (IR)

Founded over 30 years ago, MicroWarehouse is a key distributor in Ireland. The firm supplies thousands of hardware products in computing, accessories and mobile, among other categories.

View MicroWarehouse

 

Network Integrators (UK)

Network Integrators is one the UK's leading IT suppliers, specialised in managed cloud services, IT hardware and personalised hybrid IT solutions. The company provides products from major manufacturers across networking, servers, storage, computing and much more.

View Network Integrators

 

ORdigiNAL (UK)

ORdigiNAL is a valued-added distributor specialised in Speech Recognition. It is the largest distributor in Europe of Dragon speech recognition software and has exclusive rights to Dragon products for the legal and medical markets.

ORdigiNAL

 

OT Wholesale (UK)

Built on a core wholesale offering, OT Wholesale provides a stable and reliable supply and distribution platform, giving access to over 10,000 product lines. Products offered included printing supplies, computing accessories, and a range of other business supplies.

View OT Wholesale

 

ScanSource (US)

ScanSource is a leading global supplier of technology products and solutions based in Greenville, South Carolina. It distributes a vast range of IT products, including hardware from brands such as Epson, HP, and Panasonic. Founded in 1992, the firm has over 2,000 employees across the US, Canada, Europe, and Brazil.

View ScanSource

 

Sektor (NZ)

Sektor, a distributor that operates in the Asia-Pacific region, is focused on technologies for the retail, networking, security, healthcare, ergonomics and mobility markets.

Sektor has grown rapidly since starting out in 2009. The company now has a 190+ strong team, with hundreds of years of combined experience, operating in 13 cities, with 6 warehouses, across Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

View Sektor

 

Soft Solutions (NZ)

New Zealand-based Soft Solutions is a distributor of computer products, focused on the areas of security, network management, VoIP, help desk/ticketing systems, and storage. The company was established in 1995 and is based in Auckland.

View Soft Solutions

 

TonersPlus Ltd (UK)

Established in 2011, TonersPlus Limited has been supplying OEM Inks and Toners for over 10 years to valued customers. The company only sells original and genuine products.

TonersPlus sells inks and toners from leading brands such as HP, Canon and Samsung at competitive prices due to having almost zero advertising costs.

View TonersPlus


Winners Announced! Disty Awards 2021

We’re delighted to announce the winners of Stock in the Channel’s first ever Disty Awards, celebrating the suppliers that populate our stock and price search engine and enable tens of thousands of resellers to do business.

 

Who are the winners of the Stock in the Channel Disty Awards 2021?

Using Stock in the Channel platform data we've identified the following winners for the 10 categories. Read on to find out how the winners have been recognised, and click through to view their profile page for more information.

Stock & Price Accuracy

Awarded to the supplier whose stock and price feed are updated most frequently, PSA Parts consistently update stock and prices, maintaining multiple client-specific, tiered pricing groups; all with a consistent level of accuracy. 

Best Product Data Quality

Awarded to the supplier with the most accurate product descriptions, LINDY ace product data coverage, with 99.5% of in-stock products described by Icecat.

Best EDI Integration

Awarded to the supplier with the most electronic automated functions. The SITC and Ingram integration has it all: real-time stock and prices, EDI order automation, shipment tracking, serial numbers and CSP Billing - and now moving to Secure FTP (read more here).

Fastest Reseller Connection Response

Awarded to the supplier that actions feed requests the quickest, CMS frequently has zero pending reseller requests demonstrating a consistently rapid response to new applications.

Most Viewed Distributor

Awarded to the supplier receiving the most amount of interest from resellers using Stock in the Channel. Of the 166 distributors listed on the platform, 1 in every 7 Distributor Profile Page views is for Exertis IT.

Best Niche Supplier

Awarded to the supplier with the largest range and highest quality product data coverage within one product area. Huge well done to Cablenet for exceptional product data coverage at 99.1% for over 4000 cable SKUs.

Best Specialist Supplier

Awarded to Cloud and Security experts Exclusive Networks, recognised for providing expert insight and support to customers.

Best eCommerce Support

Awarded to the supplier who provides the fastest response time to solve feed issues and queries, sorting any and all feed-related requests in rapid time. 

Best New Supplier

Awarded to the recently-joined supplier who has received the most interest from resellers. Trade Supply have been with Stock in the Channel for 6 months, awarded for their adoption and implementation for client-specific feeds. 

Longest Standing Partner

Awarded to the supplier with the longest-term commitment to the platform. Supporting Stock in the Channel since its inception in November 2006, Northamber are an absolute all-rounder, with hundreds of feeds and good coverage across product data. 

 

 

Congratulations to all our winners - and to all suppliers listed on Stock in the Channel.

For press enquiries or further information on listing with Stock in the Channel, please email:
distribution@stockinthechannel.com 

 

What are the Stock in the Channel Disty Awards?

The Disty Awards are selected from internal categories that are measured from within the Stock in the Channel platform. Our objective is to shine a light on all trade distributors, large and small, broadline and niche.

With over 170 UK distributors connected to Stock in the Channel, we’ve seen the hard work and resourcefulness required that has ultimately led to success for the whole channel through 2020 and into 2021.

For a full list of UK Distributors you can find on Stock in the Channel, click here:
https://www.stockinthechannel.co.uk/Distributors 

 


Stock in the Channel UK Distributor Awards 2021

Stock in the Channel UK Disty Awards

 

We’re excited to announce Stock in the Channel’s first ever Disty Awards, celebrating the suppliers that populate our stock and price search engine and enable tens of thousands of resellers to do business.

 

What are the Stock in the Channel Disty Awards?

The Disty Awards are selected from internal categories that are measured from within the Stock in the Channel platform. Our objective is to shine a light on all trade distributors, large and small, broadline and niche.

With over 170 UK distributors connected to Stock in the Channel, we’ve seen the hard work and resourcefulness required that has ultimately led to success for the whole channel through 2020 and into 2021.

 

Discover the UK Disty Award Categories

Please note there are no entries required to the Stock in the Channel Disty Awards. Using our platform data we’ll be contacting the winners in the coming weeks before announcing the winners publicly.

 

List of Stock in the Channel Distributor Awards

 

Stock & Price Accuracy

The supplier whose Stock & Price feed are updated most frequently

Best Product Data Quality

The supplier with the most accurate product descriptions

Best EDI Integration

The supplier with the most electronic automated functionalities

Fastest Reseller Connection Response

The supplier that actions feed requests the quickest

Most Viewed Distributor

The supplier receiving the most amount of interest from resellers using Stock in the Channel

Best Niche Supplier

The supplier with the largest range and highest quality product data coverage within one product area

Best Specialist Supplier

The supplier recognised for providing expert insight and support to customers

Best eCommerce Support

The supplier who provides fastest response time to solve feed issues and queries

Best New Supplier

The recently-joined supplier who has received the most interest from resellers

Longest Standing Partner

The supplier with the longest-term commitment to the Stock in the Channel platform

 

When will the Disty Awards be announced?

The Disty Award categories will be reviewed by the Stock in the Channel team based on data taken from 2021, and announced at the beginning of June.

Winners will be notified first by email, then announced publicly. We look forward to sharing our findings with you and championing a selection of the best suppliers on the Stock in the Channel platform.

 

For a full list of UK Distributors you can find on Stock in the Channel, click here:
https://www.stockinthechannel.co.uk/Distributors 


Meet the New Distributors Who Joined in Early 2021

We've had a successful start to 2021 and are thrilled to announce the arrival of five new IT suppliers and the expansion of an existing distributor into many additional markets, using Stock in the Channel's country-specific sites.

Read on to find out more about these new partners and the products you can utilize. Remember you can find a list of all the suppliers offered here.

 

trust distribution logo

Trust Distribution Ltd

Trust Distribution offers an extensive product portfolio, supplying over 6000 product lines from 150 vendors, including Telephone Systems, Headsets, Installation products, Conferencing etc. offering a complete end to end solution for all telecommunication needs. Trust believe in building strong relationships and offering the best of what is available on the market with the knowledge to support resellers deliver any solution successfully.

View Trust Distribution

sol distribution logo

Sol Distribution

Sol Distribution is a UK-based value-added distributor of networking infrastructure solutions, based in Shropshire, UK.

Sol Distribution is an official distribution partner of ADVA Optical Networking, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise, ASUS, D-Link, Finisar, Lantronix, Net2Edge, Nokia, QCT, RAD Data Communications, Starview International, Transition Networks and Viavi Solutions, and can provide a wide range of third party compatible Transceivers & Cables.

View Sol Distribution

parsia logo

Parsia

Parsia supply a full range of OEM consumables and parts for Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Ricoh, Samsung and Sharp machines - a well as many more manufacturers. Based in Uxbridge, UK, Parsia are able to source the highest quality products from around the globe, and are committed to being first to market with the best OEM-equivalent products available. Their quality-first policy has been developed over many years working in partnership with over 400 active dealers.

View Parsia

mjt computing logo

MJT Computing

MJT Computing have been supporting clients for over 12 years With access to leading brands such as Cisco, Microsoft, APC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MJT Computing are able to provide exceptional delivery times, giving customers the option of same-day delivery across the mainland UK.

View MJT Computing

pelikan logo

Pelikan, distributed via Data Direct

Data Direct have added Pelikan to their range of aftermarket toner supplies with this standalone listing.

View Data Direct (Pelikan)

jarltech logo

Jarltech

Jarltech, Europe's largest specialist POS and Auto-ID distributor, have listed on Stock in the Channel for some time. We are happy to announce they are now available in all EU territories.

Follow the link to view the UK supplier page, or head to your preferred country's site to view their profile there.

View Jarltech


How To List Your Webstore Products For Free On Google Shopping

How To List B2C Webstore Products For Free On Google Shopping

 

At the end of 2020, Google expanded its free display options to businesses around the globe; allowing eCommerce businesses of all sizes to list their SKUs through the Google Shopping platform for free.

“Available globally in mid-October, search results on the Shopping tab will consist primarily of free listings, helping retailers to connect with more customers, regardless of whether they advertise on Google.”

Bill Ready, President of Commerce at Google

 

What Does This Mean For Stock in the Channel Webstore Customers?

 

For B2C webstore users, this offers a modest yet tactical opportunity to present products from your site to customers searching Google for IT and office products, effectively listing 100,000 of your supplier's products on Google shopping with no advertising cost.

While competition for product listings is tough, presenting your products to potential customers as they search is a critical marketing moment that should be taken advantage of - especially at no advertising cost to you!

 

Where Will Free Products Appear On Google?

 

Free product listings most commonly appear on the Google Shopping tab, however, they can also appear on under ‘Popular Products’ on Search results and within Google Images.

As with all Google results, your products will be ranked on relevancy for a user’s search factoring in keywords and popularity.

 

How To Upload Products For Free On Google Shopping?

 

For free listings, as well as paid shopping adverts, you must upload products through the Google Merchant Centre. However, in order to efficiently upload your product catalogue data you will have to use a Magento extension to automate the process.

We recommend using Wyomind’s Simple Google Shopping extension for Magento 2, please include that you are a Stock in the Channel customer when speaking with them.

 

Uploading products to Google Shopping of course does not guarantee additional sales, yet offers a great opportunity for new potential end-consumers to purchase directly from you.


New Trade Distributors Available On Stock in the Channel

As we get closer to the end of the year, we're happy to share the latest trade distributors who are now listed on Stock on the Channel. We are continually working to onboard further suppliers and have even more planned for the new year.

With brilliant new listed suppliers from Europe, the USA, Mexico and Canada, we hope you enjoy reading a small amount about each distributor below. Visit their individual pages for instructions on applying to work together.

 

 

CT International is one of the largest and preferred IT distributors in Mexico. With 27 years in the market, CT now have 52 branches and serve more than 33,000 value-added resellers - selling over 200 brands' products from a wide range of categories.

Find Out More About CT International

Canadian-based BlueStar is a leading global distributor of solutions-based digital identification, mobility, point-of-sale, RFID, digital signage, and security technology solutions. BlueStar works exclusively with value-added resellers, providing them with complete solutions, business development and marketing support.

Find Out More About Bluestar

eduthing is a Platinum ASUS Partner and the largest education-focused stockist of ASUS Chromebooks in the UK supplying devices B2B and direct to schools on a national level. Additional services such as the supply of Google for Education Licenses and white label fulfilment services also available.

Find Out More About eduthing

Stone began in 1991 and have since assisted thousands of organisations in adapting and thriving throughout the continually changing technology landscape. Now one of the UK’s leading education and the public sector technology suppliers, Stone deliver highly personalised service and provide accredited, trusted IT support.

Find Out More About Stone

Discover Group Inc. is a US wholesale distributor of brand-name office supplies, consumer electronics, computer hardware, and accessories, as well as high-quality OEM imaging supplies. Discover Group have a decades-long record of competitive pricing, excellent service, best order fill rate, and fast shipping worldwide.

Find Out More About Discover Group

For more than 20 years, US-based Jelco has delivered quality, innovative, cost-effective audiovisual case solutions for mobile professionals. With a penchant for innovative design, Jelco is recognised as a pioneer by developing a wide variety of industry-first products and features for many projectors, LCD and plasma displays, interactive whiteboards and other AV products.

Find Out More About Jelco

Digital Red Square are a relatively new distributor focussed on mobile phones, tablets and accessories. They enjoy offering competitive pricing and hold a large inventory of new and refurbished phone and mobile accessories, which allows Digital Red Square to dispatch purchase orders the same day.

Find Out More About Digital Red Square

Eurostar Global is a growing SME with big ideas, aspiring to become Europe’s first choice specialist partner for wireless devices. Eurostar Global stock and supply products from the world’s leading manufacturers backed up with a personal service.

Find Out More About Eurostar Global

Exclusive Networks is a global provider of cybersecurity and cloud solutions for their partners in over 25 countries. They offer global IT services and opportunities through various different services such as logistics and field services, professional support services, financing, leasing and much more.

Find Out More About Exclusive Networks

Genee Group (G Tech Innovation Ltd) are specialist manufactures interactive touchscreen devices in the UK. With products and services falling into four main categories, Genee is able to offer streamlined support for resellers in need of Interactive Touch Screen Displays; Registrar Visitor Sign In / Sign Out Systems; Touch Tables and Play Screens For Early Years; and Visualisers / Document Cameras.

Find Out More About Genee

Tradesupply offer over 4,000 product lines including copier toners & drums, inkjets, franking consumables, maintenance kits & fusers as well as Bio-based cartridges, a range of unique products offering great environmental benefits. They have a strict trade-only policy and offer a 5-year warranty on all toner cartridges.

Find Out More About Tradesupply

With headquarters located in Taipei, Taiwan, Transcend now has 13 offices worldwide, and has become a leading global brand for storage, multimedia and lifestyle products. Over 2000 products are designed, developed, manufactured, marketed and sold by in-house teams, upholding the highest quality and professional service.

Find Out More About Transcend

 

If you are a distributor looking to expand your reseller base, click here to find out more about listing your inventory on Stock in the Channel.


Magento 2.3 Migration Now Available For All Webstore Users

We are delighted to announce that Stock in the Channel’s Product Import extension is now compatible with Magento 2.3.  The update is now available for both hosted webstores as well as self-hosting customers.

update-announcement-magento-2.3-stock-in-the-channel

Important Information About Magento Version Updates

When Magento version 2.3 was released, the way that product and categories were set up within Magento changed dramatically. This meant that our previously existing product import extension was no longer compatible.

As a result, our customers were not able to upgrade to the newer versions. As time goes on and security patches are released, this means that any sites stuck on Magento 2.2. became increasingly out of date.  Magento has now ended support for Magento 2.2  so customers running Magento 2.2. should upgrade as soon as possible. 

 

Transitioning to Magento 2.3

In addition to the changes to how products and categories are handled, Magento 2.3 introduces a number of changes which may mean that themes need updating and other 3rd party extensions may no longer work. Consequently, this is not an automatic update and customers need to be prepared for this.

For those customers hosting on our turnkey solution: we will manage the migration to version 2.3 on your behalf.  Please contact support@stockinthechannel.com and they will arrange a time for the upgrade and assistance in solving any of the issues that may arise.

For self-hosting customers: the extension is available for downloaded from https://github.com/StockChannel/SinchImport

If preferred, it can also be installed from Packagist using the following link https://packagist.org/packages/stockinthechannel/import

 

Looking To Upgrade Your Webstore? Meet Modern Selling

For those looking to take their online store to the next level, Stock in the Channel has a range of upgraded features designed to streamline sales and give your customers an experience like never before.

 

modern-selling-dashboard-b2b-ecommerce-for-resellers

 

Click on the new features available below to explore the features. Like what you see? Contact sales@stockinthechannel.com to find out more about implementing these upgraded features on your site.

Custom Catalogues, Pricing & Distributor Rules

Bundles, Core Lists & Configurators

EDI Automated Ordering

Invoice History

Purchase Authorisation

Collaborative Quoting

RMA Returns

Cloud Services Billing

Updated Reporting

Third-Party CRM / PSA / ERP Integrations

PunchOut Capability

Speak To Us About Upgraded Modern Selling Features


Stock in the Channel Integrates with Netsuite

We are delighted to announce Stock in the Channel’s integration with NetSuite, streamlining the flow of data between Stock in the Channel’s Modern Selling solution and NetSuite like never before using SuiteTalk SOAP Webservices.

Our integration with Oracle’s world-leading ERP increases the capabilities of our Modern Selling B2B eCommerce portal; allowing resellers of all sizes to utilise our all-in-one sales solution in a way that works with their existing systems.

 

NetSuite Integration Now Available With Stock In The Channel

 

How does Stock in the Channel’s NetSuite integration work?

Customers and purchasing teams can place Quotes and Orders on the Stock in the Channel Portal as well as NetSuite, the integration platform now handles the rest to ensure the information is synced seamlessly between the two systems.

“We’re very proud of this integration and how it will be able to transform the capability of our platform for NetSuite users,” said Farshid Eilami, Software Development Manager at Stock in the Channel, “our Modern Selling customer portal continues to unite many popular systems throughout the entire channel”. Please see the full list of our third-party integrations at the bottom of this post.

Stock in the Channel's integration platform synchronises Accounts, Contacts, Addresses, Suppliers, Products, Quotes, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Invoices and Item Receipts – so that all required information is available on all systems. Stock in the Channel runs Full Syncs daily, as well as and Delta Syncs every 15 minutes.

How does NetSuite integrate with Stock in the Channel?

 

These are designed to keep the systems synchronised and provide clarity on the status of all transactions. However, please note that sync tasks can be scheduled to run at any time or frequency based on a customer’s internal processing in order to help with throttling and concurrency.

Finally, our NetSuite integration is designed to be able to support NetSuite Customization. Please contact us if you would like to configure the application in a more specific manner.

 

Would you like to discuss NetSuite or other integrations?

If you’re an existing Stock in the Channel customer or discovering us for the first time, we’d love to support your business by implementing our NetSuite integration.

Contact sales@stockinthechannel.com to speak to a member of the team, or see a full list of our most popular PSA, CRM and ERP integrations below and contact us by clicking the button.

MS Dynamics CRM

Ms Dynamics NAV

MS Dynamics GP

Xero

Magento

Amazon

Speak To Us About Integrations


Crown Commercial Technology Framework RM6147 Now Live!

19th November 2020. The Crown Commercial Technology Framework RM6147 goes live today. Stock in the Channel is here to support any organisation who have been selected to take part with our straightforward solution to submit products.

Our tried and tested process can be implemented quickly and easily and is charged on a rolling monthly contract basis.

If your company has been selected to take part in this framework, please contact sales@stockinthechannel.com 

 

View Our RM6147 Pack

 

Setting Up A Crown Commercial Datafeed

 

The Stock in the Channel Datafeed can be used to set up and manage a personalised catalogue on Crown Commerical.

Our suite of tools lets you enjoy full control of which distributors, categories, brands and even unique product SKUs that are included in your dataset.

Every night our system connects to suppliers and automatically imports your product catalogue.

As a starting point, our pricing engine chooses the lowest-cost available stock (including your margin) and pushes the datafile to the Crown Commercial Mercato FTP site.

Please note this can be overridden based on your own rules.

 

Read The Full Guide

 

If you’re a reseller that has been selected to take part in Technology Framework RM6147, talk to us at sales@stockinthechannel.com


6 Ways IT Resellers Can Make Customers Happy

In the last few years we’ve worked with hundreds of IT Resellers, MSPs and VARs, and built a clear understanding of what makes customers happy. Creating a great customer experience is a proven strategy for increasing sales, so we’ve broken our learnings into two groups: what customers do and don’t like, to use as a future checklist.

What Do Customers Like From IT Resellers?

Give customers access to their account information

Customers want to be able to browse both historic account information (such previous quotes and invoices) as well as current, time-sensitive information like shipment tracking. In our consumer lives we expect all these details to be readily-available, all without talking to anyone on the phone. A customer who can self-serve this information from a personalised dashboard will save you time in the short term, and make better purchasing decisions in the long term.

Explore The Modern Selling Customer Portal

Explain product discounts or deals on quotes

Modern customers are cautious of variations in cost (“what is wrong with the business I’m buying from?” “will the price rise next time?”) and therefore any price reductions must be qualified. Arbitrary discounts on a haggled quote price are no longer part and parcel of the B2B sales process, instead the criteria of every deal or additional incentive must be clearly justified. Acting transparently in this way builds trust between the buyer and seller, especially when continued over a sustained period of time.

Offer multiple ways to action tasks on your webstore

Different types of customers want to be able to interact with your webstore in different ways, typically a combination of self-service and assisted actions, all in the pursuit of the same goal. Simply put, your customers need to be able to get whatever they want, however they want, whenever they want - fortunately there are digital tools you can implement to make this happen. Functional webstore Search, implementing Wizards & Configurators to guide users, and creating agreed product Bundles or Core Lists are just a few examples of webstore features designed to support your salespeople; with the option to escalate to phone/video calls as solutions become more complex.

What Do Customers Not Like From IT Resellers?

Avoid wasting customers time with unnecessary phone calls

Speaking to the wrong person on the phone really frustrates modern customers, with many customers preferring not to speak on the phone at all. B2B eCommerce offers a brilliant environment for customers to self-educate based on the content you offer, which means they will be able to purchase confidently and independently, or that they will have a clear understanding of the solution they’re looking for before speaking to one of your sales team.

Never give your customers wrong or differing information

The beauty of integrated systems is that ongoing and historic data is all available - for both you and your customer to reference. This provides your team with the opportunity to provide a unified position on quotes - this also means that your customers will be very aware of receiving different costs. Stock In The Channel’s stock and price engine ensures that you have access to consistent, reliable information so that no one is out of the loop.
Integrating third-party CRM, ERP or PSA systems doesn’t just create a smooth experience, it removes the need to repeatedly key-in data, too, which saves a huge amount of time. Even more importantly, this minimises human error, so that your customers never receive wrong tracking numbers or shipment details.

Explore EDI Order Automation

Encourage customers to feel responsibility for their decisions

The sales process has become more complex in a short space of time - with remote working, multiple ways to speak to customers and purchasing touchpoints to bear in mind. Modern customers do not want to be “sold to” instead they prefer to reach solutions collaboratively. This sort of collaboration means working side-by-side with customers, rather than a head-on, transactional sales approach. This is especially important for larger purchases where pricing can be adjusted while still maintaining a healthy margin. Our new Collaborative Quoting tool brings negotiations into real-time with new quote iterations immediately available so that it feels like you and your customers are working alongside one another.

How can Stock In The Channel’s 7 Principles of Modern Selling help resellers?

Achieving best in class B2B eCommerce

Our goal is to help IT resellers digitise all areas of their business according to our principles: Self-service, Transparency, Self-education, Personalisation, Collaboration, Automation and Insight. We have created 25 (and counting) digital features that put these principles into practice to ensure a seamless purchasing experience for your customers, and to streamline the webstore portal management for your team.

Built on the back of the channel’s leading stock and price search engine

Using Stock In The Channel lets you choose from hundreds of distributor datafeeds with accurate, up-to-date stock and price availability. Dropship orders to your customers using our all-in-one webstore platform solution, combining Magento with the power of Stock In The Channel.

Speak to us about B2B eCommerce