PRINTITRESELLER.UK 27 Kabi added: “I’ve backed up one of my dealers with YouTube videos filmed at their offices. It’s promotion for them in selling our products.” Cowan said that the support model is designed to help resellers build confidence before taking on more themselves. “If the dealer wants to build up a user base using our resources, that’s fine. A year or two down the line, if they want to take it on themselves, we’ll flip it over to them.” A clear opportunity Data Direct’s message to the channel is that wide-format is a growth market, and the company is ready to help resellers enter it with confidence. With non-mainstream brands offering higher margins, recurring revenue from consumables, a channelonly model, and hands-on support from experienced specialists, the company believes it is offering something genuinely valuable. “We will support resellers as much or as little as they need. We’ll attend visits, Teams calls, demonstrations with their customers. We want to be sure we’re providing the correct product for the end-user, because then that end-user will keep coming back.” Savage concluded. www.data-direct.co.uk in. Or if they just want to see the printers run on different materials, that’s fine too.” So far, most interest has come from small to medium-sized resellers and Savage believes this is where the real opportunity lies. “They tend to be the ones coming in for demonstrations,” she said. “Some of the larger resellers have expressed interest, but the smaller ones are more active. Smaller resellers will put focus and drive on Mutoh and ROWE. It’s about having that solid working relationship, that loyalty.” Kabi agrees, noting that some larger players are beginning to engage, but the most committed activity is coming from smaller partners. Support, training and co-selling Data Direct offers a full suite of support services, from installation to training to ongoing technical assistance. Savage explained: “We have engineers who can cover whatever the reseller needs. Full service, installation and training onsite or here in Bradford. And if needed, we can use Mutoh’s demonstration and training facilities in Ostend.” others who say, ‘We’ve never done it, so why would we?’ But there’s a younger generation coming through and things are changing and evolving.” Cowan points out that the sales cycle for wide-format is longer – probably three times longer than small-format, but interest is building. “Dealers are beginning to bring forward applications and customer enquiries, even if not all are immediately relevant. Instead of saying, ‘we don’t do wide-format,’ they’re now having the conversation.” Margin opportunity Cowan stresses that wide-format offers real margin opportunities. “With Mutoh and ROWE, partners can make a real margin,” he said. “There’s also a solid opportunity for recurring revenue with original consumables.” He is also clear that Data Direct is and will remain strictly channel-only. “There’s no size of end-user we will entertain. We’ve got a big project at the moment that could be a huge UK rollout, but because they are the actual user, we will fulfil it through a dealer or several dealers. We’ll never do it directly.” Fully equipped showroom To support resellers, Data Direct has invested in a demonstration facility in Bradford. The showroom is equipped with a Mutoh 661 UV printer, Mutoh HydrAton 1642 (water-based UV ink technology), ROWE automatic cutter and ROWE Scan 450i large format scanner. Dealers can bring customers, run test jobs, and trial the equipment in real‑world scenarios. Savage said: “We categorically sell to resellers, so there’s no end-user business. We welcome resellers and their customers. If they’ve got specific media or products they want to print on, they can bring them DISTRIBUTION
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