As anyone who has ever launched a product knows, the hardest variable to contend with is whether or not anyone will buy it. You can make the best widget in the world, but you can’t read people’s minds to learn if it’s something they actually need and will part with cash to acquire. Without sales, any company will tank fast.
This is where market research comes in, and likely copious amounts of it. But it can be difficult for a small- to medium-sized business to muster the resources necessary to arrive at such research. So, often, they turn to external partners to get a sense of the demand for whatever they plan to sell.
This is where CompTIA comes in. The association’s research and market intelligence provides timely, relevant data and insights aimed at informing and driving the IT industry. CompTIA has a library of over 100 research reports, whitepapers, videos and webinars, with new material produced each month. Using rigorous research techniques, CompTIA collects data from tens of thousands of end-users and IT companies on a wide range of issues covering tech trends, channel dynamics and the IT workforce. All of this can provide a company with an accurate picture of the demand for its product before it goes to market.
CompTIA research did just that for ChannelEyes, a communication and engagement platform intended to help suppliers and their channel partners connect daily. ChannelEyes delivers channel program highlights over a secure network; making it simple for end-users to engage with the entire channel.
Jay McBain, co-founder of and chief social officer at ChannelEyes, described what the company was looking to get out of market research. “We were looking for how channel partners communicate with their vendors,” he said. “This included what vehicles are most used, what type of information is most useful and how much information is adequate.”
The company also considered research by Gartner, IDC, Techaisle and Forrester, but found CompTIA’s most closely matched its needs. “CompTIA has a unique perspective that delivers channel-centric information that is very useful to ChannelEyes,” McBain said.
Specifically, CompTIA research proved valuable as ChannelEyes built out ChannelCandy, a custom branded mobile app designed for the vendor community to deliver channel highlights, company news and sales tools to channel partners. “We leveraged research in mobility before launching ChannelCandy,” McBain said, adding that this occurred over the last two years. “Finding out how many partners use smartphones and tablets was critical, and is used by us right across our marketing channels. Other research on the cloud and managed services also came in handy as we targeted those verticals.”
So what was the outcome of ChannelEyes drawing on CompTIA’s research and market intelligence? “ChannelEyes was able to extend our award winning social media platform into really useful mobile apps for dozens of vendors, which has driven very strong revenue growth for the early-stage company,” he said. “Getting specific, actionable data is critical to drive market decisions and CompTIA research always tends to ask the right questions. The analysis and insight are key to understanding the data and we trust the conclusions that are made.”
ChannelEyes draws on CompTIA as a resource in more areas than research. It participates in several of the association’s community groups and ensures that new employees have the appropriate CompTIA certifications before joining the firm. It also leverages CompTIA events such as its Annual Member Meeting, ChannelCon and webinars for meeting industry peers and getting educated.
To learn more about CompTIA research click here and to learn more about ChannelEyes click here.
Daniel Margolis is manager, membership communications editor, at CompTIA.
