Arrow aims for Sage with Genesys alliance

UK and Australian reseller alliance to give Sage a run for its money.

Financial software reseller Genesys has become the first UK partner of Australian financial software vendor Arrow Research, which claimed it will poach business from Sage's Line 100 market.

The Yorkshire-based reseller, which also specialises in Navision products for high-end users, claimed the UK financial software market for the SME sector has been "badly lacking" Arrow's type of product in the past.

"The UK market is crying out for a new financial product," said Wayne Bowler, managing director of Genesys.

"We are happy to be the first reseller in the UK to sell Arrow's products, but I know the firm is looking for more channel partners in the UK and is in talks with other potential partners."

Accreditation is not particularly stringent, Bowler said, explaining that several Genesys employees had received technical training, which involved an end-of-day test.

Arrow claimed it has won a 58 per cent market share in Australia, and is confident of its ability to achieve similar levels of success in the UK.

"When translated to UK market potential [we] predict we will have 15 per cent market penetration within 12 months," an Arrow representative said.

Sage has "dominated the UK mid-market in the past", the representative added, but said its offering had gone "stale".

Bowler said he believed the product will be attractive to SMEs moving to an electronic accounting package for the first time, and also for businesses seeking to upgrade from programs such as Sage's.

"Genesys is looking to specialise in the two- to three-plus users bracket with turnover of around half a million pounds or more," said Bowler.

"We are hugely confident that once Arrow becomes known in the UK, we will have a successful campaign in the SME sector."

A Sage representative told CRN: "We welcome any competition because it keeps us on our toes."