What is the most crucial advantage that resellers expect from their wholesale partners? In today's competitive markets, they want partners that deliver quickly on spec, and help them deliver innovative solutions to their end-customers. BlueStar EMEA is that partner, filling that role for big and small reseller partners since 1992.
"Many technology products and services are now a commodity, which leaves space for two types of resellers: those who furnish large product orders, and those who add value to their sales with innovative solutions to customer desires. Both groups of resellers want a high-value wholesale partner to support them in delivering on time and expectations, and creating value-added products and services."
This is the view of Caswell Mthembu, BlueStar's Business Development Manager, who is leading this well-known wholesaler's expansion in Southern Africa. BlueStar is a global wholesale distributor of data capture, point-of-sale, RFID, access management and digital signage technologies from the world's top brands, starting with Zebra, the global market leader and main partner of BlueStar. On top of that, we are the first worldwide distributor of brands like Honeywell, Datalogic, Elo and many more.
More partner innovation and resources
BlueStar has been serving customers in South Africa for many years and is now deepening that market exposure. Mthembu leads a team of professionals that offer dedicated expertise, including pre-sales and support teams. The expansion includes a value-added service team that collaborates with BlueStar's reseller partners to configure products, load builds, create bundles, and it’s able to even deliver solutions to end-customers on behalf of our partners when the project requires.
Serving verticals such as retail, healthcare, manufacturing and security, BlueStar provides an extensive network that its partners can leverage.
"We work to be the glue that connects different parts of the channel," says Mthembu. "We have dedicated team for the SA market to help our partners develop targeted solutions for their customers. Our strong relationships with vendors enables us to connect partners and vendors when they can help each other. Additionally, we have networks with many independent software vendors and developers across the world that support our partners to design creative customer solutions."
Innovation through self-procurement and training
Technology products such as RFID and data capture provide building blocks companies use to improve their operations, efficiency and profits.
Rugged mobile computers bring digital features to hard environments. Portable printers provide on-the-go documentation. RFID tags track inventory and equipment. Barcode scanners help organise complex environments and collect workplace data efficiently. Biometric security and access cards maintain order and safety. Anchored by its logistics and warehousing fully-automated EMEA hub in the Netherlands, BlueStar can fulfil any global order within days.
There are many more examples of how BlueStar's range of services and vendor brands enhance partner opportunities. It's about supporting BlueStar's partners, which are more self-sufficient through the BlueStore, BlueStar's e-commerce procurement platform. Partners also have access to BlueStar's training resources, account managers and additional support channels.
Such elements are important to Mthembu, whose extensive career in technology and procurement is motivated by his fascination with mobility in society created by the right technology choices.
"The value we create from technology doesn't start and end with the products we use. It's about the principles that we bring to the table. You can sell products to the channel and you can do more by giving your partners access to business, development and training resources. This is what BlueStar does, and it's for everyone — from the biggest resellers to small and medium resellers."
If that sounds like the kind of partner you need to take your business and customers forward, talk to Caswell Mthembu and the dedicated BlueStar team, and see what is possible together.
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