IT Index gives boost to Probrand turnover

Reseller Probrand has defied a flat market and boosted its annual sales with its e-procurement portal

Reseller Probrand has defied a flat market and boosted its annual sales with its e-procurement portal, which provides IT product information about more than 1,000 vendors.

The portal, known as IT Index, is an online ordering system that searches for a vendor, and processes payment, invoicing, delivery and support, with the aim of giving a simpler, more cost-effective structure for the end-user.

Probrand recorded turnover of £8.5m in the second quarter of the year, a 24 per cent increase from last year, with the IT Index portal accounting for 85 per cent of this.

Peter Robbins, managing director at Probrand, said: “E-procurement is pushing sales as it is a cost-plus model. We are processing 3,000 to 4,000 records everyday and ensure that our system is up-to-date.”

Robbins said that Probrand’s accreditation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants has given the firm the credibility to boost business.

“We hope to increase our catalogue content staff, as the key is having a dynamic catalogue, and you have to work hard on the content. The future of e-procurement will be on desktop quoting,” Robbins claimed.

Mark Blowers, senior research analyst at the Butler Group, has assessed the IT Index portal in the past and is unsurprised by its uptake.

“The VAR market is competitive, but if you can set up a portal like IT Index, you can attract people as they can save time with all the information in one place on the web,” he said.