From The Editor | September 19, 2014

VARTECH: Live Polls Offer Insight On Biggest Reseller Challenges, Shrinking Margins

jim roddy

By Jim Roddy, VP of Marketing, RSPA

VARTECH Live Reseller Polls

Solutions providers attending VARTECH 2014, the annual conference hosted by value-added distributor BlueStar, participated in two interesting live polls during a partner meeting Thursday afternoon at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Resellers used their smartphones to submit their responses via text, Twitter, or a web page, and the results were posted on a giant screen as they were received.

Poll #1: As our channel matures, what are your plans to deal with margin compression of your solution?

The answers included these responses. I think you’ll notice a distinct trend regarding services:

  • Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS)
  • Tie hardware directly into software via HaaS, SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), and traditional service offering
  • SaaS
  • Sell more credit card services
  • Services
  • Be more consultative to sustain margin through added services
  • Better service
  • Build in installation services
  • Sell more services and earn credit card recurring revenue
  • Integration of entire solution
  • Add services and create new models
  • Managed services, wireless activation revenue
  • Focus on payment processing residuals
  • More services, software, and recurring revenue streams
  • Reorganize company and outsource non-core business
  • Sell RFID

Poll #2: What do you believe is currently the #1 challenge for your business?

  • Margin Compression: 37 votes (60.6 percent)
  • Multiple Operating Systems: 9 votes (14.8 percent)
  • Availability of Product: 8 votes (13.1 percent)
  • Conversion of Business to SaaS Model: 4 votes (6.6 percent)
  • Availability of Credit: 3 votes (4.9 percent)

VARTECH 2014 is being held Sept. 18-20 in New Orleans at the Hyatt Regency and the Superdome. VARTECH, the annual conference for value-added distributor BlueStar partners, focuses on data collection, point of sale, mobility, digital signage, RFID, and security. For more information on BlueStar and VARTECH, go to www.BSMinfo.com/solution/InsideBlueStar.