<< return 10/3/2012 3:40:13 PM

Vendors: Deploy a Branded Mobile App to Your Partners

Things are changing faster than ever in today’s Channel, with trends such as cloud, mobility, consumerization and business social reinventing the way Vendors and Channel Partners work together. ChannelCandy is the first mobile Channel engagement platform that takes advantage of these trends.

ChannelCandy is a custom branded mobile app designed for Vendors to deliver Channel highlights, company news and social tools into the hands of their Channel Partners. It runs on all popular mobile platforms including iPhone, iPad and Android.

ChannelCandy was developed by the team at ChannelEyes - the next generation communication and engagement platform for suppliers and their Channel Partners to connect every day. The ChannelEyes platform delivers relevant channel program highlights over a secure network making it simple to engage with the entire channel, targeting the right people with the right information at the right time.

Why a Branded Mobile App?


Today, Channel program information is sent to Partners by email, newsletters, webinars, telesales and consumer social media. A Web Portal then acts as a catch-all library for storing program details, sales enablement, incentives, education, certifications and technical information.

Tremendous amounts of time and energy go into creating materials that are stored in these portals, but they receive little traffic. CompTIA recently conducted a survey and found:

  • Less than 5% of channel partners regularly use vendor portals.
  • 17% open Vendor emails, only 2% click or take any action.
  • Information is usually sent to and filtered by a “Vendor Champion” (doesn’t reach sales, marketing and technical teams directly)
  • Partners who use Vendor programs are the most successful and profitable.
  • 85% of Channel professionals own a smartphone, tablet or both and use them regularly for business.

At ChannelEyes, we’ve talked to hundreds of Solution providers and they all agree that it’s impossible to continually read and disseminate key Vendor information. The average Partner deals with at least 10 Vendors and distributors; each sending multiple communications per week.

There’s no easy way to constantly review all of the vendor portals, read all the newsletters or emails – decide what is important - and then notify the people in their organization who need to know.

How will this improve my Channel?


A Partner app will be the single place for Channel Partners to see a snapshot of new Vendor channel information, news and updates every day. They can control the programs they need to follow, filter the information based on their job role and join the conversation.

With 85% of professionals inside Partner organizations carrying a smartphone or tablet, it is a unique way to communicate at a personal and consistent level. One of the results of the mobility trend has been the extension to the traditional business day; not only are devices being used during the day, at customer locations, they are used just as much at night and on weekends.

A Partner app will improve:

Channel Sales Enablement – by delivering the tools and resources necessary to make your Channel act as an extension to your own sales team. Vendors can even send motivational messages to drive the sales cycle forward!
Channel Education – publishing rich media such as videos, whitepapers, case studies and certification courses, Vendors can raise the level of knowledge and capabilities of your Partners.
Channel Incentives – Partners admit that they leave money on the table because they don’t regularly stay up to date. With a mobile app, they can set alerts and be notified each time a new incentive can drive new behavior.
Channel Tools – by customizing the app with external tools such as configurators, calculators, quoting tools, deal registration and product information, Vendors will drive better sell-thru, stronger options and accessories attach, as well as more robust program participation.
Technical Updates – keep your Channel Partners up to date with tech bulletins, service fixes and other critical updates in real-time. Technicians can customize the app to receive push notifications and collaborate with other members of the community, leveraging the wisdom of the crowd.

Getting Started With ChannelCandy


The development of the app is largely turn-key.

The team at ChannelEyes creates and designs the app with initial guidance from the Vendor. The branding of the app, including logos, colors, splash pages, as well as collecting information sources such as Twitter, RSS, blogs, industry magazines, news, etc.

The initial consultation takes between 60 and 90 minutes and focuses on defining roles and responsibilities, collecting marketing assets and outlines the process around integration with the Apple and Android stores.
Discussions around customization of the app start during this consultation session. Outlining the tools, resources and special links to be included in the app, as well as development resources required.

ChannelEyes will submit the app into the Apple App Store as well as Google Play Android Marketplace. The app will also be deployed as a mobile website, allowing usage on other mobile platforms such as Windows and Blackberry.

The time from initial consultation to delivery of the basic app is 6 weeks. Customizations will take longer and will depend on the complexity and development work required.

How the app works


The Vendor app will be downloaded by your Partners from the App Store for their device. The Vendor logo and colors will show up as an icon on their home screen.

As with other apps, future improvements and feature additions will be made available and automatically updated. The notification feature will be active showing a red circle including the amount of missed messages on the upper right side of the app icon.

When the Partner clicks on the icon they are taken to a security sign on screen. Vendors can easily manage authorizations at the Partner organization level, saving time and ensuring that only trusted people are accessing your information.

There are several ways to manage Partner invitations to the app,



Company Directory
Business Service Provider
Communications and Networking Products
Computer Hardware and Electronics
Enterprise Software Applications
Industry-Specific Solutions
Internet Products and Services
Software Tools and Applications
Technology Service Provider

    Company News         Jobs         Venture Capital & Financing         Industry Research         News on the Web         Social-IT.ca         Events         Business Directory    
Copyright © 2012 CanadaIT Ventures Inc. - site powered by pathway v2.