Compaq opens up direct route for Prosignia

Compaq is adopting a dual-sales model for the Prosignia hardware range in its first definitive step towards establishing a direct route to market for all customers.

The vendor will compete with its partners by selling Prosignia direct and via the channel.

Nick Offin, channel business director at Compaq, said: 'The model will help us compete against other leaders in the small business market by supplementing existing price-oriented activities. We are looking for the incremental market opportunity that customers who want to deal direct can offer.'

Offin claimed Compaq would not undercut reseller prices and pledged neither model would be favoured by the vendor's manufacturing operations. He vowed Compaq would not seek to deal direct with customers who have existing reseller relationships.

Compaq is improving its call centre and Website to start taking direct orders for the Prosignia range in the third quarter. It will be available through the channel from 19 July.

As revealed by PC Dealer, Compaq will also launch an extranet for its UK corporates in the third quarter, enabling them to buy product direct (7 July).

Kasper Rorsted, EMEA vice president of the PC products and e-commerce group at Compaq, said: 'We have been saying that when we unveiled our e-commerce strategy it would give customers the choice of fulfilment directly or through the channel.'