Where and how can a corporate client buy software in Runet?
Surveys of IT specialists and analysis of domestic online software sales services showed: only a few participants in the online trading market are truly focused on software sales to legal entities.
According to analysts from IDC Russia, a leading researcher in the domestic IT industry, in 2009 the volume of the Russian software market was about $ 2.3 billion. Today, there is a rapid increase in software purchases via the Internet: if in 2009 the industry experienced a serious decline, in 2010, sales growth should be at least 17%. According to observers, the volume of online software trade increases much more dynamically than the “offline” software market - on average by 70-75% against 15-20%.
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However, these sales are in most cases focused on individuals. What happens in the commercial segment?
Nine out of ten surveyed IT managers of companies consider price the decisive factor for the final choice of supplier. More than half of the respondents confirmed the importance of bonus programs and the opportunity to get preferential terms of delivery. The overwhelming majority of survey participants would be happy to buy software for their company via the Internet if the service were equipped with a powerful search system and convenient for quick ordering.
But there is one problem, imperceptible to the uninitiated, which turns corporate licensing into a much more complicated process compared to the purchase of the “box” by an individual.
The corporate licensing policy of most popular software vendors is such that it is extremely difficult for a non-expert to understand the complex structure of the price list and dozens of purchase options for each position. It is necessary to take into account the type of organization (for example, a PC assembler, a government agency, an educational institution or a commercial company), the parameters of the network infrastructure, the number of users and the nature of their work, the purpose of using the software, etc.
Today, the situation in the corporate software market is such that without a special course of study, IT specialists who want (or the employer's will) must understand pricing policies are unable to independently find the most profitable option. On the other hand, most small and medium-sized web developers often do not have competent specialists who can integrate the complex structure of such price lists into a standard online store.
As a result, the question of selecting and purchasing corporate software products is almost always solved through resellers. In the overwhelming majority of situations, the end user is unable to independently find software for an optimal price. Moreover: the policy of manufacturers prescribes to distribute software products only through intermediaries. It is for this reason that purchasers often experience all the shortcomings of working in the offline format: the incompetence of resellers and sales managers, a limited range of products, inflated prices, and so on.
The situation may well be corrected by the Internet service, “sharpened” by a commercial buyer. But is the Runet moving towards something like that?
Let's try to analyze the development of "corporate usability" on the example of four well-known sites, which represent a visual "evolution" of services that specialize in online software sales: Softkey.ru, Itshop.ru, Allsoft.ru and Legsoft.ru.
Suppose that the owner of the company "X" decided to buy Windows Server Standard 2008 R2 at the best price. Just what is needed for our experiment - the optimal cost is extremely difficult to calculate according to the price lists: to use Windows Server, you need a license for the server itself and for each client connection, the number of connections is important (the boxes are designed for 5 and 10) and license type - corporate or OEM, special privileges for state institutions and educational institutions, downgrade, etc. are possible.
What is the result?
Softkey.ru - “Internet supermarket and Internet software distributor”
After clicking the "Find" button, the service issued ... a list of 82 program titles, divided into 5 pages. Each position is 5-6 lines of empty advertising text, price (with obligatory sacred prefix "from") and a large "Buy" button. Suppose that at the end of the 4th page we found what we were looking for. Click "Buy" ... and see a dozen of the same advertising lines like "simplified installation and management functions allow customers to increase operational efficiency." Price list is missing. The inscription: “The price depends on the chosen version” makes it clear that the cost is likely to be determined by the seller “by eye”.
Allsoft.ru - "Reliable shop reliable software"
There is clear progress in the information part: the service gave a detailed, on three screens, a general description of the product and even a presentation video. However, with the possibility of a “fine search” again it is rather poor: after a long scrolling, brief descriptions of only 20 software versions were found - about 2 lines (as many as 200 characters!) Each, including the usual inscription “Buy”.
Itshop.ru - "INTERNET & SOFTWARE COMPANY"
Click "Search" and get a long, on several screens, a list of 50 purchase options. Not a bad choice. But how to find the necessary position? No hint of the possibility of automatic search is visible: to see a detailed description of the desired software product, the user must download each of the fifty pages, and then click the “Add to cart” button. "Corporate customer focus" here, alas, pumped up.
Legsoft.ru - “Online software delivery service for corporate clients”.
Scrolling is not necessary: ​​upon request, we immediately get the form of "fine tuning". As many as 19 search options are available - for example, according to the product version, OS bit capacity, and even for different types of customers (as it follows from quick hints, they are covered by the developer’s discount price). There is detailed information about the selected license. A bonus program and individual consultations are announced. Here it is, the sought-after “corporate usability”.
Our small survey showed that all types of online stores are represented in the online software sales market - from the most simple, user-oriented, to services designed exclusively for organizations.
However, in RuNet there are really not enough convenient services, where companies (and individual buyers) could select the necessary software products without intermediaries. The pleasant exception found only confirms the rule. Perhaps the reason is that it is more difficult to work with legal entities than with private buyers: the amount is much higher, customer requests are wider, responsibility is more serious.
It seems that today this market niche is almost empty. We can recommend future (and current) owners of online stores to think about new specialization on the example of Legsoft.ru . Corporate customers are able to bring a small supplier to a much higher level of trade turnover. There is a reason for reflection.
According to analysts from IDC Russia, a leading researcher in the domestic IT industry, in 2009 the volume of the Russian software market was about $ 2.3 billion. Today, there is a rapid increase in software purchases via the Internet: if in 2009 the industry experienced a serious decline, in 2010, sales growth should be at least 17%. According to observers, the volume of online software trade increases much more dynamically than the “offline” software market - on average by 70-75% against 15-20%.
')
However, these sales are in most cases focused on individuals. What happens in the commercial segment?
Nine out of ten surveyed IT managers of companies consider price the decisive factor for the final choice of supplier. More than half of the respondents confirmed the importance of bonus programs and the opportunity to get preferential terms of delivery. The overwhelming majority of survey participants would be happy to buy software for their company via the Internet if the service were equipped with a powerful search system and convenient for quick ordering.
But there is one problem, imperceptible to the uninitiated, which turns corporate licensing into a much more complicated process compared to the purchase of the “box” by an individual.
The corporate licensing policy of most popular software vendors is such that it is extremely difficult for a non-expert to understand the complex structure of the price list and dozens of purchase options for each position. It is necessary to take into account the type of organization (for example, a PC assembler, a government agency, an educational institution or a commercial company), the parameters of the network infrastructure, the number of users and the nature of their work, the purpose of using the software, etc.
Today, the situation in the corporate software market is such that without a special course of study, IT specialists who want (or the employer's will) must understand pricing policies are unable to independently find the most profitable option. On the other hand, most small and medium-sized web developers often do not have competent specialists who can integrate the complex structure of such price lists into a standard online store.
As a result, the question of selecting and purchasing corporate software products is almost always solved through resellers. In the overwhelming majority of situations, the end user is unable to independently find software for an optimal price. Moreover: the policy of manufacturers prescribes to distribute software products only through intermediaries. It is for this reason that purchasers often experience all the shortcomings of working in the offline format: the incompetence of resellers and sales managers, a limited range of products, inflated prices, and so on.
The situation may well be corrected by the Internet service, “sharpened” by a commercial buyer. But is the Runet moving towards something like that?
Let's try to analyze the development of "corporate usability" on the example of four well-known sites, which represent a visual "evolution" of services that specialize in online software sales: Softkey.ru, Itshop.ru, Allsoft.ru and Legsoft.ru.
Suppose that the owner of the company "X" decided to buy Windows Server Standard 2008 R2 at the best price. Just what is needed for our experiment - the optimal cost is extremely difficult to calculate according to the price lists: to use Windows Server, you need a license for the server itself and for each client connection, the number of connections is important (the boxes are designed for 5 and 10) and license type - corporate or OEM, special privileges for state institutions and educational institutions, downgrade, etc. are possible.
What is the result?
Softkey.ru - “Internet supermarket and Internet software distributor”
After clicking the "Find" button, the service issued ... a list of 82 program titles, divided into 5 pages. Each position is 5-6 lines of empty advertising text, price (with obligatory sacred prefix "from") and a large "Buy" button. Suppose that at the end of the 4th page we found what we were looking for. Click "Buy" ... and see a dozen of the same advertising lines like "simplified installation and management functions allow customers to increase operational efficiency." Price list is missing. The inscription: “The price depends on the chosen version” makes it clear that the cost is likely to be determined by the seller “by eye”.
Allsoft.ru - "Reliable shop reliable software"
There is clear progress in the information part: the service gave a detailed, on three screens, a general description of the product and even a presentation video. However, with the possibility of a “fine search” again it is rather poor: after a long scrolling, brief descriptions of only 20 software versions were found - about 2 lines (as many as 200 characters!) Each, including the usual inscription “Buy”.
Itshop.ru - "INTERNET & SOFTWARE COMPANY"
Click "Search" and get a long, on several screens, a list of 50 purchase options. Not a bad choice. But how to find the necessary position? No hint of the possibility of automatic search is visible: to see a detailed description of the desired software product, the user must download each of the fifty pages, and then click the “Add to cart” button. "Corporate customer focus" here, alas, pumped up.
Legsoft.ru - “Online software delivery service for corporate clients”.
Scrolling is not necessary: ​​upon request, we immediately get the form of "fine tuning". As many as 19 search options are available - for example, according to the product version, OS bit capacity, and even for different types of customers (as it follows from quick hints, they are covered by the developer’s discount price). There is detailed information about the selected license. A bonus program and individual consultations are announced. Here it is, the sought-after “corporate usability”.
Our small survey showed that all types of online stores are represented in the online software sales market - from the most simple, user-oriented, to services designed exclusively for organizations.
However, in RuNet there are really not enough convenient services, where companies (and individual buyers) could select the necessary software products without intermediaries. The pleasant exception found only confirms the rule. Perhaps the reason is that it is more difficult to work with legal entities than with private buyers: the amount is much higher, customer requests are wider, responsibility is more serious.
It seems that today this market niche is almost empty. We can recommend future (and current) owners of online stores to think about new specialization on the example of Legsoft.ru . Corporate customers are able to bring a small supplier to a much higher level of trade turnover. There is a reason for reflection.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/109156/
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