More than 90% of resellers feel frustrated with distribution partners despite needing support more than ever as they undergo digital transformation, the latest research from IT distributor Westcoast has found.
The independent report, titled 'What UK Resellers Really Think', surveyed over 200 UK resellers earlier this year to unearth the services and support most needed in the channel.
Among businesses with a turnover of between £50m and £500m, Westcoast found that 92% of VARs and MSPs feel frustrated with their distributors over lack of contact and flexibility.
Additionally, 92% said they view digital transformation as an opportunity to get closer to customers and 89% felt that distribution can help them with their strategies. However, less than half of these respondents (41%) said they were ready to embark on the digital transformation journey in the next 12-24 months.
The research also found a gap between what businesses know they should be focusing on in the future and what they feel they can confidently do at this moment in time, with cloud services (64%) and machine learning (53%) noted by resellers as key growth areas in the coming 2-3 years.
When it comes to building this growth, 60% said they look to distributors for customer insights, while 51% said they rely on leveraging marketing advice. 44% said they needed distribution for market forecasts.
Despite these findings, Westcoast's report also warned that distributors should not get complacent in addressing the growing frustrations felt by resellers. While 100% of surveyed businesses said they were 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their distribution partners, just 8% said they have 'no frustrations' at all.
Half of respondents (50%) feel their distributors don't offer 'total solutions', while 56% are frustrated by pricing flexibility. Other pain points include a lack of product flexibility (47%) and a lack of personal contact (40%), while 60% said they prefer to buy stock from retailers.
