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Consumer e-commerce companies setting new pace for B2B IT resellers


Johannesburg, 10 Sep 2019
Gary Pickford, CEO of Tarsus Distribution
Gary Pickford, CEO of Tarsus Distribution

Technology resellers operating in the business-to-business market are coming under pressure to offer a customer experience that more closely resembles the seamless, on-demand interactions consumers get from e-commerce companies, ride-hailing companies and other digital disruptors. Those that meet these expectations will be strongly positioned to lead the market in the future.

That’s according to Gary Pickford, CEO of Tarsus Distribution, who says buyers in the enterprise market are questioning why corporate technology purchases should not be as quick, simple and transparent as ordering an electric toothbrush or a tablet computer for personal use from one of the country’s e-commerce retailers.

“A CEO or CIO working for medium-sized business is also likely to be a tech-savvy consumer who uses Uber and shops online,” says Pickford. “They are beginning to ask why fulfilment for the purchase of a new office printer or notebook takes three days or more, when consumer e-commerce sites offer overnight delivery and when some are even moving towards same-day delivery.

“What’s more, when they buy a consumer electronics product online, they can track the progress of their order in real-time. But when a corporate buyer orders an IT product from a reseller, they will usually need to chase the reseller to get status updates. They often don’t know whether the order has shipped or when it’s likely to arrive.”

VAD’s new role

The role of the value-added distributor in this changing world is to provide the digital backbone technology resellers need to meet emerging customer demands, adds Pickford. Distributors need to provide resellers with access to tools and logistics systems that enable them to offer their customers more seamless fulfilment of their purchases.

The more progressive resellers in the market are looking at how they can leverage digital supply chains to increase the stickiness of their customer proposition, Pickford says. They realise that they need access to a backend technical platform to make it happen, yet building such a platform themselves is complex and expensive.

According to Pickford, leading resellers are developing skills in the new IT – including virtual reality, big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of things – and are positioning themselves to help customers reposition their infrastructure for a changing world. The conversation is shifting from selling scanners or PCs towards packaging business solutions.

From push to pull

This is another area where the backing of the value-added distributor is invaluable, he adds. Tarsus resellers that register and make use of the Tarsus B2B Portal will get access to tools that will digitally enhance their relationship with their end-customers. These tools will enhance the customer experience as well as deliver efficiencies in the technology procurement process. The aim is to deliver a complete solution for the customer – from consulting about the business requirement to seamless digital fulfilment of the order.

“We’re moving away from selling towards responding to the pull from the customer,” says Pickford. “The question resellers and distributors need to answer is: 'What problem can we solve for the customer?’ Pulling together the elements of the solution takes place in the background, shielding the customer from the friction and complexity.”

Pickford says the market is moving into a new phase, following the birth of the digital-first and digital-only companies a few years ago. Pure-play digital companies are adding brick-and-mortar infrastructure to their offering, even as traditional companies digitise processes and add digital channels to their offering.

“We have seen consumer e-commerce companies start to move into the physical world by offering collection points and even opening up their own stores,” says Pickford. “We expect the same omnichannel approach to emerge in the business-to-business technology space, as resellers and distributors seek to offer customers the best of the old world and the digital model.”    

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Tarsus Distribution

Value-added distributor Tarsus Distribution was founded in 1985 and over three decades has built an ICT-channel-focussed business which is today seen as one of the best in Southern Africa. 

It maintains this position through a continuous focus on its channel partners, results and customer satisfaction-oriented employees, a deep and broad offering of the world’s leading Tier-1 IT brands, tailor-made channel financial services and extensive support capabilities, all underpinned by an unsurpassed nationwide logistics capability. 

Tarsus Distribution continues to invest in its own future through initiatives such as its 3rd Party Logistics (3PL) offerings and its industry-leading supply chain and warehousing efficiencies. 

Tarsus Distribution is part of the Tarsus Technology Group and has as its sister companies Tarsus On Demand, Tarsus Dispose-IT, GAAP and Printacom. 

The Tarsus Distribution head office is situated in Johannesburg with branches in Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit. The Tarsus Technology Group has an extended footprint in Africa with a presence in Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. 

More information about Tarsus Distribution is available at:

www.tarsusdistribution.co.za

www.twitter.com/TarsusOnline

facebook.com/TarsusTechnologies

Editorial contacts

Gavin Moffat
join.the.dots
(086) 001 7411
gavin@jtd.co.za
Rositta Mbanze
Communications manager
(+27) 11 531 1000
rmbanze@tarsus.co.za