Resellers today have become increasingly innovative, frequently outpacing distributors in adapting to emerging market needs. CompTIA's recent State of the Channel report highlighted customer experience as a critical area resellers prioritise to differentiate themselves and maintain their competitive advantage. Clearly, some resellers have moved beyond simply selling products they're now dedicated solution providers, creating custom services to meet specific customer requirements.
Yet distributors often remain rooted in transactional methods, missing significant opportunities to provide strategic support and meaningful insights to resellers. To remain relevant, distributors should transition from purely logistical roles to becoming proactive strategic partners committed to facilitating reseller success.
An essential step in cultivating smarter relationships involves utilising advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence. International Data Corp research demonstrates that organisations using decision intelligence - combining data analytics with AI capabilities - significantly enhance their decision-making effectiveness and speed. Adopting these tools can empower distributors to better anticipate market changes, identify reseller needs early and provide strategic solutions ahead of emerging challenges.
Distributors who adopt this smarter, relationship-focused approach will deliver significant value - not just to individual resellers but also across the broader ICT ecosystem. Moving beyond traditional logistical roles allows distributors to become essential strategic partners, actively contributing to sustained growth, innovation and competitive resilience.