Customer topnordic
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TOPNORDIC is an IT reseller that sources products from distributors rather than maintaining its own inventory. It implemented CNET Channel's DataSource solution to source detailed and consistent product information for over 100,000 SKUs. This allows TOPNORDIC to present a vast virtual catalog in customers' preferred languages without requiring additional staff. Since implementing DataSource, online orders for TOPNORDIC have increased from 15% to 60% of total orders.
Customer topnordic
- 1. Its simple. Our distributors and suppliers provide the part numbers plus their pricing and item availability, and DataSource delivers all the rich content related to those items. S淡ren Bartels Head of eService Business Development, TOPNORDIC Customer Profile TOPNORDIC Maintains Bottom-Line Advantage with CNET Channel DataSource Denmark's first technology reseller to offer products online, TOPNORDIC "We certainly didn't have the manpower to search for, aggregate, offers business and government customers in Denmark, Sweden and organize, and present highly detailed data and pictures for the Norway a veritable smorgasbord of hardware, software and office supply thousands of items we offer. And no other prospective data providers items, IT deployment services and repair-related support through its could come close to DataSource's breadth and depth of content, much online retail portal, topnordic.com. Up to 100,000 stock-keeping units less offer it for Danish, Swedish and Norwegian SKUs." (SKUs) are available to customers in each market. Just-in-Time Strategy Delivers High-Value Returns The company tracks inventory turnover at a remarkable rate of 80 turns Today, TOPNORDIC's online store presents a catalog of items from a per year, because TOPNORDIC's enormous catalog of items is mostly database that is created anew each day based on inventory availability stocked by its distribution partners and suppliers while TOPNORDIC from its 60 distribution partners in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. holds only merchandise it can purchase in such quantity and at such a CNET acquires exhaustive product information from manufacturers and significantly discounted price that it can ensure high-volume sales and other trustworthy sources for DataSource. TOPNORDIC's partners' minimize inventory storage costs. inventory availability determines what content from DataSource will populate the online catalog. Rich, Consistent Data Creates Vast Virtual Catalog TOPNORDIC is a regional reseller, but S淡ren Bartels, head of As a result, TOPNORDIC is able to aggregate and present an extensive TOPNORDIC business development, observes, "Dropping product catalog, without the cost and risk of maintaining inventory. Once an prices put pressure on our profit margin, and the consolidation of order is placed, it is sent to the distributor that offered the item and competition in our industry means we've got to be more effective to beat shipped directly to the customer or to TOPNORDIC, which in turn sends fewer, bigger companies for customers' business." it on to the customer. "It's simple," says Bartels. "Our distributors and suppliers provide the part numbers plus their pricing and item availability, TOPNORDIC launched its e-commerce channel in 1996. The company's and DataSource delivers all the rich content related to those items." Web portal required a great deal of manual data entry and presented content provided by TOPNORDIC's distribution partners and suppliers. TOPNORDIC staff had to sort through inconsistent data from multiple sources to present government and business customers with product At a Glance information, and the portal was not designed to support comparison shopping. Company: TOPNORDIC Website: www.topnordic.com By 2002, e-commerce had become more prevalent, and Bartels' team Headquarters: Ballerup, Kobenhavn, Denmark recognized the need to make it easier for customers to procure Founded: 1985 merchandise online. "Initially, we didn't define the problem as one of data Employees: 370 quality. We talked a lot with different vendors and distributors about how to improve the site," says Bartels. "Although our reputation as a top reseller allows us to ask our suppliers to make changes that will help us Summary of Challenges: TOPNORDIC sought to improve business, we couldn't seem to arrive at a solution that would enhance its virtual stores' utility with rich, consistent product have the desired results." data tailored to the regions in which it operates, without additional investment in manpower. When a representative from CNET Channel met with TOPNORDIC to show how it would be possible to present detailed, consistent product information-translated and localized to reflect merchandise available in Summary of Results: After implementing CNET Channel's each market Bartels' team recognized the opportunities to make the DataSource soluiton, TOPNORDIC has automated the crea- storefront more useful. TOPNORDIC chose CNET Channel's tion of a virtual catalog of products that reflects availability DataSource service to provide product information for its merchandise, and presents data in the user's preferred language. enabling customers to search for merchandise in their native language and choose from a selection of goods stocked in their region.
- 2. Bartels notes that with two staff dedicated to the work of adapting TOPNORDIC's Web portal to integrate the DataSource information feed, it took approximately two and a half months to bring the first portal enhancements live. Today, maintenance simply requires downloading the data package each day, amounting to just a few hours of time per month. Partnering for Competitive Advantage and Results With DataSource providing a solid foundation for its robust shopping portal, with text and images that are consistent from product to product, TOPNORDIC has added parametric search and comparison capabilities. This enables users to find products based on the specifications they require and then evaluate those specifications to make an informed decision. Building on the DataSource content and data model, TOPNORDIC has also developed features and functions that reinforce customer preference, such as an accessories guide, so customers can find compatible products and TOPNORDIC can create up-sell opportunities. According to Bartels, DataSource is vital to TOPNORDIC's business model, which depends on offering an enormous selection of products without a corresponding investment in inventory, so that operational costs stay low and competitive advantage remains high. "We're finding new ways to use DataSource content all the time," he says. "TOPNORDIC was first in the market to present customers with such a wealth of information, and that initial advantage has helped us continue TOPNORDIC's Web site is powered with CNET Channel product information to improve the customer experience and stay a step ahead of our competition." And the results are evident. When TOPNORDIC began using "We certainly didn't have the manpower to search DataSource, about 15 percent of customer orders were placed through its shopping portal. Today, 60 percent of all orders are made for, aggregate, organize, and present highly electronically. "DataSource has made it possible for us to offer a much detailed data and pictures for the thousands of larger catalog while our staff can focus on their core tasks," says Bartels. "There's no doubt that our customers appreciate the utility of our site." items we offer. And no other prospective data providers could come close to DataSource's About TOPNORDIC breadth and depth of content, much less offer it TOPNORDIC is a leading reseller of IT products and services to government and business customers in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. for Danish, Swedish and Norwegian SKUs. One of the first resellers to provide customers with the option of e-commerce, TOPNORDIC continues to find ways to make it faster and S淡ren Bartels easier for customers to purchase the hardware, software and supplies Head of eService Business Development, TOPNORDIC that they need. About CNET Channel CNET Channel is the world's leading independent source of on-demand product information, supporting both online catalogs and traditional sales with detailed content on over 2 million technology products. More than 1,000 companies in 35 global markets including Amazon, Dell, Tech Data, Actebis, CDW, Microsoft, Computacenter,TOPNORDIC and Yahoo! rely on CNET Channel to power their e-commerce platforms. In CNET Channel Corporate Headquarters addition, the company's ChannelOnline solution combines this data with 235 Second Street sales, order management, sourcing and e-commerce storefront tools to San Francisco, CA 94105 USA automate the complete sales cycle for more than 2,250 VAR Toll-Free 1.877.276.5560 Tel 415.344.2000 professionals. CNET Channel is a subsidiary of CNET Networks www.cnetchannel.com (NASDAQ: CNET). CNET Channel, DataSource, ChannelOnline and Transactive Product Data are trademarks of CNET Networks. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright 息 2005 CNET Networks. All rights reserved.