Vendasta made two key announcements this week. One addresses a key priority: building the company’s IT reseller channel. The other involves a notable addition to its marketplace.
Investing in the IT Channel
Notably, the Saskatoon-based digital marketing SaaS provider has formed a strategic partnership with the JS Group to develop its IT channel. This channel is comprised of agents, MSPs, VARs, and SIs that help SMBs implement the technologies that run their businesses. This is everything from Internet connectivity to data storage and security.
We’ve long seen the IT services channel as a promising option for companies selling digital marketing and back-office SaaS solutions.
“The JS Group is a very important partner in helping us on our channel journey. Our origins are in digital marketing and sales solutions, but we’ve evolved and adapted to meet the needs of anyone serving small- and mid-sized businesses,” George Leith, Chief Customer Officer and EVP of Sales, told Localogy Insider.
“By helping companies become the chief provider of digital technologies to SMBs, and also by integrating best-of-breed channel solutions into our wholesale Marketplace, we’re poised to help in some significant ways. JS Group has been instrumental in helping us connect to the channel effectively and powerfully.”
Janet Schijns leads JS Group. She’s a former Verizon exec who was most recently Chief Services and Solution Officer at Office Depot. Both Schijns’ Office Depot and Verizon experience are relevant to Vendasta’s objective.
Her last title at Verizon was “Chief Channel Executive – Vice President Global Channels.” Her job was to oversee Verizon’s channel partners, which included VARs and systems integrators.
OfficeDepot has dabbled in offering business services as a way to break out of its retail chains. The company also experimented with different channel relationships, including targeting IT solutions providers as a way to reach more SMBs. During her tenure there, Schijns crafted OfficeDepot’s MSP offer.
Expanding Marketplace with Active Campaigns
Vendasta also announced it has added Active Campaigns to its marketplace.
ActiveCampaigns is a small business CRM that has pivoted to become a customer experience platform. Notably, many martech solutions providers are increasingly shifting to the CX model. Differentiation is a key motivator. In the current environment, helping customers focus on CX may resonate more than a focus on customer acquisition.
Regardless, Vendasta sees ActiveCampaigns filling a key role in its marketplace.
“Small and medium businesses need customer experience and e-commerce tools as they continue to adapt to new expectations from consumers,” Ed O’Keefe, EVP/GM of Marketplace, told Localogy Insider.
“With the introduction of ActiveCampaign to the Vendasta Marketplace, we’ve been able to help our SMB-serving partners deliver a robust CRM, email marketing, marketing automation, and machine learning. It works in harmony with our full suite of digital tools, and is a critical part of ensuring SMBs have everything they need to survive and thrive under a single login.”
