Connect Distribution, has signed up Claranet to provide managed application hosting to support its growing online aftercare, spares and repair service and enhance its web channel.
As the UK’s largest distributor of brown and white goods, with more than 1.4 million product lines and some 16,000 active customers, the company wanted to upgrade its existing platform to support its growing online, retail and consumer business and meet with stringent market regulations.
Connect, which provides ready-made sites for retailers, has experienced an exponential increase in consumer traffic and recorded 27% growth in its online business this financial year. The fast growth was placing additional strain on Connect Distribution’s hosting infrastructure, which led to the company’s decision to upgrade to a new level of hosting service that would manage this increased capacity and service complexity.
“Processing over 180,000 stock lines per month online, running over 100 spare parts websites and handling repair care for over 40 clients, our mission critical requirements were for a hosting and networking partner who would guarantee that our online business was available 24×7,” said David Payne, director of business development at Connect Distribution.
“Our websites are accessed daily by a high volume of customers who place their trust in us to ensure real-time visibility of stock and distribution,” he added. “This availability is hugely dependent on the reliability and management of the hosted applications underpinning our websites’ functionality. We take this responsibility very seriously and ensure we work with only the most qualified partners to meet the high standards needed to provide a smooth and hassle-free service for our customers.”
“As the market leader in its field, Connect Distribution has undergone significant infrastructure development to meet with its customers’ demands,” added Claranet’s technical operations director, Paul Court. “By deploying this advanced managed application hosting service, in addition to key elements of their network, Claranet’s solution will now underpin 60 per cent of its revenue, validating the trust Connect Distribution holds in Claranet to deliver their mission critical services.”
