IBM finds auctions a good source of new customers
IBM Corp. started selling on non-IBM web sites last year in an effort to find new customers. Did it ever: A stunning 79% of the customers who bought IBM products at eBay, Yahoo, CNET and uBid are new to IBM, the company reports. And a full 42% opted to receive further marketing material from IBM.
IBM started out managing its own auctions on eBay. "We are always trying to sell where, when and how our customers would most like to buy from us over the web--at and away from our own web site,” says Paul Canham, program executive, worldwide IBM auction sales. “As our customers’ buying behavior evolves to include buying at various auction sites, so too does our selling behavior evolve to constantly mirror our customers` buying behaviors."
As consumer acceptance and sales grew and the struggles of matching supply and demand in a new channel became burdensome, it turned to ChannelAdvisor Corp. for an auction management system. ChannelAdvisor now operates IBM auctions at all sites. "We don`t hesitate to partner in a space where we are new," Canham says. "ChannelAdvisor has a core competence of sound management expertise and leading edge technology that our team felt could help IBM to take their auctions business to the next level."
ChannelAdvisor also recently added Intel Corp., Radio Shack Corp. and Overton’s as auction clients.
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