Industry viewpoint: Clear skies ahead for site designers

Fiona Coughlan, managing director of Macromedia UK, explains that designing on the web can be prosperous.

There are companies calling themselves dealers, resellers, Vars and integrators, the labels dependent on the type of product or service sold. These names, while not always accurate, are a useful indication to the customer as to the level of knowledge, support and type of products they are likely to receive from a particular supplier.

Unfortunately, things aren't as easy when is comes to the internet. Due to its nature, the type of tools and systems that need incorporating as part of a web strategy can be quite complex. For example, a decent site will incorporate good design, this means either selling a product such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, or outsourcing the site design to a web company.

Alternatively, the customer may be interested in implementing a sophisticated back-end system, utilising existing database infrastructures to deliver an intranet or ecommerce site. But both require very different skills, products and services, and over the past year it has become apparent that the channel is finding it hard to supply a part of the system, let alone the whole thing.

This situation is resulting in a threat to many traditional resellers. To begin with, many resellers are not using the internet to keep their clients up-to-date with their services and products. Secondly, they are unable to address the increasing demand for web packages - making life very difficult.

Loyal customers are moving away from their traditional re-seller, going in search of companies that can implement their required web systems. Traditional sectors are having to compete with web development companies, and web manufacturers are tearing their hair out wondering which direction to go in to develop their channel. Should they endeavour to educate resellers about web design, or dedicate resources to the web development houses not used to selling products, offering support contracts or credit?

Alternatively, what the whole market can recognise is that web business opportunities are vast and companies can afford to specialise in one part of a web package, as long as they are willing to work in conjunction with a third party. Macromedia and distributor Computer Unlimited run seminars to help resellers wade through web mumbo jumbo. This helps resellers apply their existing knowledge to web selling. For example, Vars dedicated to developing accountancy systems won't want to understand about web design, but will want to learn about intranet and ecommerce infrastructures. These skills, working alongside a web developer, can offer a client the perfect system, and it means both companies make money out of the web and developers don't pretend to be resellers, but offer design and development services which is what they are good at.

In essence, the web is here to stay and if the channel wants to stay ahead then it needs to learn about the web in terms of utilising the technology within their own organisations, and by offering systems to existing clients.

There's a wealth of opportunity, but dealers are popping up that are not re-sellers, but that are happy to act as one if client asks them to supply the products.