At Quosal, our team’s e-commerce experience goes back a long time, into the depths of the pre- “dot-bomb” years when e-tail was growing at a remarkable rate, and state-of-the-art online technology was brought to bear on e-commerce solutions of the type that we implemented for many well-known retailers. The burgeoning online technologies were becoming available at just the right time to provide excellent online solutions for our brick-and-mortar retail customers, and companies like Amazon.com were lighting the way for purely online play.

Fast forward some 10+ years, and lately we’ve seen some noise around e-commerce (again) for the IT market, as if it were something new that the market has just now discovered.

In our quote-and-proposal-automation line of work, we have occasion to talk with many information technology providers who have e-commerce offerings through one of many current providers, such as ChannelOnline, VARStreet or any number of equivalent systems. Our conversation is often in the context of looking for alternatives to those systems for their core need of product quoting, but the inevitable question is, “Do you provide an electronic storefront?” In this context, I always query, “How many orders have you taken from your storefront in the past few months?” The inevitable answer: “Few to none.”

So, is traditional e-commerce something today’s IT provider and/or MSP really needs? In a word, the answer is “No.” In two words, the answer is “Hell no.”

But do those same companies need to offer the convenience of online shopping, option selection and order execution? The equally strident answer is “Absolutely yes!”

E-commerce is the opposite of what today’s IT provider is about, which is expertise, understanding of needs, and total care based on specific knowledge of the customer. Sending a customer to an online store throws a lot of that out the window. The message to the customer is, “You don’t need me, just go find it yourself!” Once you’ve given that message to your customer, they’re half a step away from a much larger, more powerful online provider.

To be at all personalized, an e-commerce site must be maintained and cultivated by someone who knows what they are doing. Many are the companies I’ve talked with who know they’ve spent more money in labor to maintain their site, catalog and customer-specific features than they’ve brought in via the site.

There are several essential disconnects between a traditional electronic storefront and today’s MSP.

Messaging. Today’s IT provider wants to be the customer’s trusted advisor, someone who is giving sound advice based on their expertise and knowledge of the customer’s specific needs and resources. The messaging of an e-commerce site is the opposite: “You don’t need me, just go shop online.” Or, “Just buy what you’ve bought before, because our e-commerce site shows you your history. No thought required, nothing ever changes.”

These are not the messages of a trusted advisor.

Another important message to your customer is your own image. This is often enhanced when you first set up an e-store and put a lot of thought and resources into the organization, selection and other aspects of the e-store. But inevitably, this effort falls off – because it is often too time-consuming for the return on time. The site degrades, and is no longer a positive reflection of your company. This is a highly common occurrence.

We’ll take care of everything. Except new equipment? Many MSPs are moving into managed contracts, HaaS, and other arrangements that basically give the customer the warm fuzzy blanket of “it’s all included, we’ll take care of everything.” Sending the customer to shop for themselves on your e-store is anything but.

The wrong battlefield. It’s virtually impossible for a small company to compete with the Dell/CDW/Newegg/Apples of the world. Read your Sun Tzu — you’re simply taking the battle to the enemy’s favorable ground. Once you’ve given your customer the blessing to shop online, they’re half a step away from better selection, pricing, marketing and site maintenance.

Today’s Relevant Solution

A much more relevant solution is offered by Quosal and our ground-breaking, market-leading online quote delivery and order execution solution, Order Porter. This is the middle ground, preserving the MSPs position as the trusted advisor, yet providing the convenience of online shopping, option presentation and selection, and order execution and payment.

We at Quosal have simple evidence that this is today’s topical, relevant online solution: We have hundreds of successful MSP and IT providers in the SMB space successfully using Order Porter to capture business every day – yet I have encountered barely a handful successfully employing e-storefront solutions. The simple, immediate and compelling level of success achieved by our customers, as illustrated in this case study, shines far brighter than any success story an IT provider has shared with me about its e-storefront.

Think twice before embarking on the long-term commitment that such a storefront truly represents. A much easier, less expensive, lower maintenance option that is consistent with your client messaging is readily at hand!

Kent McNall
President and CEO
Quosal LLC