D&H Distributing, a North American computer products and consumer electronics distributor, has seen double-digit growth in the second half of 2015 in several key areas such as servers, monitors and displays, desktops, and notebooks. Overall growth for the past six months (June to November) was close to 7 percent.
This past year, the distributor conducted major campaigns to support complex vertical markets such as the K-12 education opportunity, which will be a renewed focus going forward in 2016. The K-12 space is a complicated one to enter due to the regulations and details involved in government programs like E-Rate, which provides funding to school districts for the purpose of upgrading their technology infrastructures. To that end, D&H’s latest K-12 initiative will include tools such as a new “E-Rate 2.0” Partner Services Marketing brochure template, a brandable document that allows resellers to generate demand and educate their end-customers.
The distributor also plans to offer a new Solutions Lab webcast on K-12 in 2016, online “Battlecards” with details on pricing and stats for market-appropriate products, as well as customer “kits” for select reseller groups containing extra marketing content designed to help VARs kick-start business in this space.
“Our formula for identifying prospective market opportunities has been successful for our resellers so far,” says Jeff Davis, senior vice president of sales at D&H Distributing. “It’s therefore a tactic we’ll be escalating, starting with the education market campaign in January. We foresee additional opportunities as emerging niches such as 3D and digital signage solutions become more mainstream in both price and functionality, opening avenues for resellers to foster new specialties. As a distribution partner, it’s our goal to stay on top these trends, delivering the most effective training and support. We want to make sure our customers are the first to profit from these developments in 2016.”
Growth categories for D&H in 2015 included:
- Servers – 55.1%
- Monitors/displays – 30.9%
- Security – 29.2%
- Desktops – 22.9%
- Notebooks – 12.3%
- Power protection – 11.9%
- Computer accessories/bags – 10.4%
