Catalogue Distribution
CAtAlogue dIStRIbutIon: pReSent And futuRe
In this article, Electronics Sourcing asks RS’ head of electronicsmarketing, Glenn Jarrett, whatmakes catalogue distribution special
Q:Why buy froma catalogue distributorwhen there are so many alternative channels available?
A: In short, flexibility, quality, reliability, service, convenience, customer care, technical support, breadth of stock and value.We provide the choice of online or offlinemethods of order placement for any quantities, delivered on time, with a range of payment and account options.We provide customer technical support for navigating to the right products, associatedmaterials and accessories, and a simple, intuitive experience to complete a shopping list of parts.We also provide design tools and resources for engineers at every stage of the journey fromconception to production andmaintaining their products. Our customers have three basic needs: find, design and buy.Wemeet those needs through being very easy to do business with.
Q:What differentiates RS fromother catalogue distributors?
A:We havemore local sales offices, inmore countries, than any other distributor and 49 websites serving over 90 per cent of the world’s GDP area. Our coverage includes 17 distribution centres located across every region of the globe to support local electronics design and production.
Our customers in those countries come to us primarily to find
the right products and buy themeasily. Through our catalogue and online search and browse tools, we provide an intuitive and comprehensive way to select the best product for their needs. An example is our Component Chooser.We believe it’s themost powerful and accurate parametric search engine in the electronics industry. It allows users to select and compare across every product we carry, fromeverymanufacturer in our range.
Q: Howis RSmanagingwith the supply chain turmoil cause by recentworld events?
A:While less than 10 per cent of our product range has been affected,we have taken a number of contingency actions throughout our supply chain planning, purchasing and forecasting processes to ensurewemitigate any effects as far as possible. Chiefly, this has involvedworking closelywith all of our supply partners to extend our order coverage and pull forward additional stock profiles.We’ve also implemented additional supply planning and analysis procedures to provide alternative supply routes for any expected difficulties.
Inmanaging the impact of the Japan disaster,we have received continual reports fromour teamin RS Japan on the impact to both
40 | June 2011
the industry and the country as awhole. This has allowed us to provide our customers and supplierswith information both on any supply impacts and howthey can get involvedwith the recovery efforts to support Japan.
RS’ head of electronicsmarketing, Glenn Jarrett
Q:What purchasing innovation canwe expect fromRS over comingmonths?
A:We are nowpiloting ‘Live Chat’ in the UK for our online customers. This feature tracks users on ourwebsite and uses rules to automatically detectwhere theymay be experiencing difficulty, and through a pop-upwindow, offers a real-time support session via a trained specialist fromRS. The reaction has been fantastic andwewill be rolling this out across our globalwebsites over the comingmonths.
More online enhancements will be introduced during the second half of 2011.
Q: Is there a future for printed catalogues in today's increasingly digitalworld?
A: Our customers tell us emphatically, yes! Conclusive research shows that they value the catalogue tremendously and it still plays an important role in the ‘find, design and buy’ journey formany of them. In fact, it is frequently used in parallelwith online search.
What is very clear is the increased scope for providing fuller and
richer content via the Internet so we are integrating the twomedia more by including a growing number of references and signposts to online information in our printedmaterial.We are also looking at new ways of providing information to our customers. For example, we’ve just launched our second iPad edition of eTech, the RS quarterly technologymagazine, featuring interactive content, video and audio. It offers layout flexibility, allowing readers to consume the latest information fromthe world of electronics in innovative and entertaining ways.
There is no doubt that our catalogue will continue to evolve in
harmony, and sympathy with the digital world, but with somany of our customers expressing a steadfast loyalty to the printed page, we are very conscious that we have to deliver the tools they need to do their jobs using themedia they demand.
rswww.com www.electronics-sourcing.co.uk
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