HP phases out Smart Choice

Following fanfare launch of HP's Dell-busting Smart Choice online sales tool in January, vendor decides to scrap initiative because it is too complex to implement

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has axed its Smart Choice sales tool less than six months after its official UK launch.

The Smart Choice tool, part of HP’s Smart-branded channel strategy, was intended to help Preferred-level partners compete more with Dell by simplifying the sales process and showing all pricing and lead times across the entire UK distribution supply chain (CRN, 22 January).

Antoine Barre, vice president of Solution Partners Organisation at HP, told CRN: “Smart Choice was a very attractive concept, but the implementation was very difficult and had huge IT requirements. We have decided to stop the programme and focus on other parts of our strategy such as Smart Portal and Smart Quote.”

Barre said the decision was made after listening to partners’ requests to keep HP’s business strategy simple. Smart Choice will now be phased out in a three-month transition period, ending in September.

Tony Price, managing director of reseller WStore, said: “HP expected us to integrate Smart Choice when we already had tools. I would say that it wasn’t marketed enough by HP, but it does reflect the fact that HP thinks resellers are doing a good job, particularly on the implementation side.”