Sony goes into VAR drive
Electronics giant to grow reseller numbers as it launches new products
Sony intends to drive further into the audiovisual market by multiplying its resellers 10-fold, the vendor told CRN, as it unveiled a raft of new products last week.
Sony, which currently has about eight distributors for various product sectors and about 100 VARs, said it is looking to "grow this number extensively".
Paul McKeever, marketing manager at Sony, told CRN that details on how the firm intends to expand its channel are not finalised, but he added that the vendor is reviewing its partner programme and will aim to keep some direct reseller touch.
"We are looking to maintain a direct touch with our VARs that sell our videoconferencing, as this is quite a complex sell. We may look at tiering the programme to enable us to keep this touch, and we are evaluating in terms of specialisations, such as vertical tiers," McKeever said.
He added that Sony is in discussions with all of its partners. "We want to get this right from the start and not rush into anything," he said. The firm is aiming to launch the new programme next year.
Jon Sidwick, managing director of distributor Maverick, said he welcomes the move to encourage more resellers on board.
"A year ago we were selling only plasmas and projectors, but now we have a much broader range of Sony products," he said. "By having a broader range it means we can offer this out to a wider range of VARs and help to get Sony the market breadth it is looking for."
However, he added: "Sony is focused, but it could leverage the strength of its brand more than it does. At an end-user level it is strong, but it needs to achieve this through the channel as well to help drive demand."