Office equipment unit cuts overhead, marketing spend by providing access to promotions and pricing for resellers, distributors
Chicago — January 22, 2004 — Samsung Electronics America's Digital Information Technology Division has cut its overhead and marketing spending while improving overall partner satisfaction by implementing a partner portal using a solution from Click Commerce.
The Digital Information Technology Division (DITD) offers professional, corporate and small office/home office (SOHO) users a line of computer and office equipment that includes computer displays, laser printers and multifunction devices.
DITD implemented a portal solution from Click in 2000 as part of an initiative to reorganize its sales team, create incentive programs for partners and develop elite marketing programs. Today, the Click Commerce-based portal, dubbed the Samsung Power Partner Portal, provides key catalog information and tools regarding promotions, campaigns and special pricing to more than 13,000 indirect resellers, distributors and field sales representatives.
"During the economic downturn, when everyone was turning to direct sales, we stuck with our partner model," said Helman Lukito, marketing manager at DITD. "By using Click Commerce's portal technology, we are able to provide our partners with the information, tools and resources that they need to sell our products effectively."
Lukito said that the portal helped raise his company's annual commercial sales growth rate to a record 30 percent this year. "We are also able to better measure the effectiveness of our market development funds and marketing programs, reduce marketing overhead by 25 percent and increase overall partner satisfaction," Lukito said.
The Samsung Power Partner Portal earned the highest partner-satisfaction scores of any of the 75 vendor programs in a recent industry survey, with the Samsung portal achieving the number one ranking.
"By using our partner portal technology, Samsung's DITD has realized true business value through cost-effective marketing initiatives and tailored partner programs," said Michael Ferro, CEO of Click Commerce.