TD Activate-here will give resellers in France, Germany, the UK and Sweden the opportunity to sell a wider range of products and improve attach-sell rates of software with sales of PCs, laptops and tablets. The service consists of a web portal, which can be white-labelled by the reseller, and a set of back-office processes, which are totally seamless to the end customer, that enables Tech Data partners to provide easy activation for a wide range of software packages. The portal is a simple access point for the end customer to retrieve their activation code and download if needed. This will enable retailers, web stores and resellers addressing the consumer and small business market to offer a comprehensive range of products without having to order and hold physical stock in advance.
In retail stores, consumers purchase a product key card which is activated immediately after the product is sold by the retailer. The online solution simply offers a virtual key card, which is then delivered by e-mail to the consumer. Traditional resellers serving the needs of small businesses or individual customers can order products for activation through Tech Data’s InTouch online system in the normal way, including the end-user’s e-mail address. Once the order is confirmed, an email is despatched to the customer within seconds, enabling the collection of their activation key from the Activate-here portal. The process is designed to be easy and quick for the customer.
Initially, the top-selling range of software products, for consumer and SMB customers, from Microsoft and Norton by Symantec will be available through TD Activate-here. Tech Data intends to expand the number of vendors available to meet the Christmas market.
Reza Honarmand, Director of Software and Services at Tech Data Europe, stated: “TD Activate-here makes it really simple for our retail, e-tail and SMB partners to offer top-selling Microsoft and Norton software to their customers. We’ve eliminated the box and created a solution offering 100 percent product availability, almost zero cost of sales, and zero cash utilisation. It is also a green solution that is delivered to the end-user within seconds. It’s that fast.”
With TD Activate-here, retailers and resellers no longer need to hold stock of boxed copies of software products (many of which contain little more than an activation key) or wait for them to be shipped from Tech Data’s logistic centres. This eliminates all freight and stock rotation costs. In addition, it ensures that the very latest and best-selling software products from these key vendors can always be made available.
Importantly, TD Activate-here will also expand opportunities for Tech Data customers and help them sharpen their competitive edge, added Honarmand. “This is only the beginning for TD Activate-here. In addition to the top selling software, such as Microsoft Office Home & Student edition and Norton 360 or Norton Internet Security, as of today our customers can expand their sales potential by offering Microsoft Office for Mac, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Project, Norton Ghost and other products that they might not have always held in stock at all times. As we expand the portfolio, there will be even more opportunities to attach-sell software with PCs, laptops and tablets. We want to enable our customers to achieve the highest levels of customer service and gain a competitive advantage.”
Michel Bensadoun, EMEA Vice-President of Sales for Norton by Symantec added: “TD Activate-here will really expand the availability of award-winning Norton software to independent resellers across Europe. Tech Data Europe has built a strong infrastructure to ensure innovative delivery to resellers and retailers serving consumers and the SoHo market. Now, resellers can offer a wide-range of security software to their customers at a competitive cost, and provide the end customer with a seamless experience and immediate protection for their devices.”
Tech Data Europe has made a significant investment to develop the system, which is the first of its kind to be offered by a distributor in Europe. Honarmand said: “TD Activate-here is an example of how Tech Data is setting the pace in the market and innovating to deliver better, more profitable and more cost-efficient services for the channel. We are constantly investing to make it easier for our customers to do business and make the most of their opportunities.”
Thomas Hansen, Vice President for Microsoft Corporation’s SMB business worldwide stressed the benefits that TD Activate-here will bring to the SMB market. He commented: “Microsoft is delighted to see this continual innovation from Tech Data, which enables them to efficiently deliver software around the clock to the SMB market with minimized costs. We are excited to extend our partnership with Tech Data to now include the delivery of Microsoft software through TD Activate-here.”
The TD Activate-here service is available for resellers, webstores and retailers initially in the UK, Germany, France and Sweden with a further roll-out planned.