Wondering what the future holds for value-added resellers (VARs) like yours? Let us take away some of the mystery for you with our five key VAR trends for the year ahead.
1. Demand for true partner enablement VARs want to show their end users the value of their solutions. However, vendors typically go heavy on the technical information while going light on the business benefits. A better balance needs to be struck.
VARs looking to thrive in 2023 should be pushing for better marketing support from vendors – who are often sitting on case studies and use cases that are worth their weight in gold in a digital-first era.
2. Changes to customer buying habits With almost 20% of all B2B sales expected to be handled completely digitally in 2023, VARs will need to consider how they can make digital customer journeys much simpler and smoother.
Do you have the capabilities to meet the increased dependence on digital content marketing and webinars?
Do you have the ability to collect and deploy customer data to better target sales?
Should you be building an eCommerce site and transitioning to a D2C model?
3. Customers will turn to VARs for their expertise End-users are now much more informed and knowledgeable coming into the buying process. To compensate, VARs must make sure their employees know their solutions inside and out so they can provide the best customer experience.
The opportunities and role for VARs as knowledge hubs are only set to grow. Digital transformation, increased reliance on cloud and more sophisticated ransomware attacks mean VARs can offer critical guidance in the face of new challenges.
4. A growing need for differentiation Analysts point to the increasing uptake of exciting innovations that leverage the power of ML/AI for end-users. This shift to service-driven, outcome-led solutions will change the way end-users invest and who they choose to show loyalty to.
In this context, VARs should prioritise solutions that offer enhanced flexibility, investment scalability and interoperability to build comprehensive ecosystems and deliver truly differentiated services to market.
5. Personalised experiences come to the fore Lurking on the side-lines for several years, 2023 is slated to be the year that many businesses start taking personalisation seriously. One area on the rise is account-based marketing (ABM), which uses personalised campaigns to engage accounts directly.
67% of brands use ABM today
50% of B2B buyers see personalisation as crucial to searching for suppliers online
If you’re looking for a marketing partner who has their finger on the pulse of current and future challenges for VARs, your search might just be over. Get in touch with our team today.
Featured image by Ussama Azam on Unsplash.