Channel Impact

Noticing an unexpectedly low adoption rate of a newly released product, our technology client sought to understand the role of their partner channel in driving product adoption, to gain insights into customer attitudes and behaviors. Partners play a critical role in influencing their customers’ decisions, and as strategic and trusted advisors, they are uniquely positioned to provide valuable insights into customer preferences and pain points. By leveraging the partner channel, the client hoped to uncover the reasons behind the low adoption rate and develop strategies to increase market penetration.

Recognizing the importance of the partner channel, we employed a two-phase approach to gain insight into the customer target market’s attitudes and behaviors through their trusted advisors.

In Phase I, we conducted a global quantitative survey of nearly 400 partners to assess their awareness, perceptions, satisfaction, and likelihood to offer the new product.

In Phase II, we followed up with a small subset of Phase I partners for a qualitative deep dive to gain a deeper understanding of their communication preferences and most effective sales tactics for promoting the new product to their customers.

Our research revealed a significant knowledge gap among partners regarding our client’s new product offering, including a lack of understanding of its unique value proposition and differentiation from similar products on the market. This presented a major barrier to successful promotion and sales through the partner channel. To address this issue, our client used the research findings to develop targeted training programs for partners, designed to improve their understanding of the product and its benefits, as well as effective strategies for marketing and selling to their customers.