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Tracking Distribution Channel Demand
The Client: A major PC software publisher.
The Challenge:
- Provide a constant, detailed
understanding of competitive product performance through the
value-added reseller (VAR) channel and to include system integrators.
- Determine what factors were driving VAR
demand so that the publisher could monitor and focus marketing
efforts.
The Techtel Solution
- Using our proprietary models
and systems, we were able to quickly and cost-effectively design
and implement a custom longitudinal study (a study designed for
tracking over time).
- We recruited a panel of VARs and system
integrators to be surveyed over the duration of the study. Techtel
often uses panels for longitudinal studies, because they have
proven both accurate and affordable.
- We customized an existing Techtel questionnaire
to collect key measures of VAR demand for competing software
products. We added additional questions to probe for the factors
driving considered resale and actual resale by VARs. Then we
included questions about the importance of these factors for
each of the products tracked.
- In addition to the key measures of demand
such as awareness, considered resale, evaluation, actual resale
and opinion, we enhanced the client's understanding with additional
measures of:
- new and repeat demand measures;
- efficiency measures to diagnose problems;
- consideration overlap to gauge competitive
pressures.
- We tabulated and reported data using proprietary
data processing systems developed expressly for longitudinal
studies.
Techtel Reporting
Our client can now take action based on
our quarterly reports. They track changes in demand for their
products—and those of key competitors. Each report includes
an executive summary detailing our key findings and recommendations.
We provide complete supporting tables and charts.
Results
The client uses our reports to fully understand
the changing needs of their VAR channel. They can:
- measure the effect and efficiency
of their marketing.
- quickly identify their relative strengths
and weaknesses within the channel, enabling early identification
of problems and opportunities.
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