WStore backs IT trade press

Online reseller survey reveals over 50 per cent of UK businesses view trade press as 'essential source of information'

Over 50 per cent of UK businesses have cited the IT trade press as an essential source of information when making informed decisions about purchasing technology, a survey by WStore has revealed.

The research also found that computing websites are held in even higher regard, with 73 per cent of SME respondents, and 67 per cent of corporates, turning to IT news and reviews sites as a primary source of product information.

However, almost a quarter of UK SMEs shy away from the official information on IT manufacturers’ websites when planning their next purchase. Asked “where do you source information when deciding which products to buy” 23 per cent of SMEs and 17 per cent of corporates said they paid absolutely no attention to the official product information on manufacturers sites, indicating a preference to look elsewhere for independent opinions.

Advertising was not seen as a reliable source of information by the survey’s respondents, but did seem to make more of an impression on the SME market with 26 per cent getting their product information from adverts as opposed to only 13 per cent of corporates.

Stewart Hayward, WStore commercial director, said: “It's great to see the trade press so highly regarded. Traditional advertising seems to be losing its impact as a sales tool, and has become more about brand perception than selling or providing information on specific products. Customers are becoming more aware of the variety of sources for information and are more inclined to use multiple sources of information when making a buying decision."

The WStore survey also asked whether respondents regularly used WStore’s pre-sales team, to gauge the extent to which businesses see resellers as trustworthy sources of information. It found that SMEs are less likely to do this than corporates, with 46 per cent and 54 per cent respectively consulting the WStore pre-sales team before making a purchase.

"The perceived wisdom has always been that larger companies with in-house IT staff don’t need the support of a reseller, but our findings indicate that larger companies are, in fact, using resellers in a more strategic manner, which is good news for resellers and the channel in general," said Hayward.