Strategy and Architecture, B2B Website

The Client

Ingram Micro is the world’s largest wholesale provider of technology products and services. Through its subsidiaries, it distributes more than 225,000 products to more than 140,000 resellers in 130 countries. Revenues in 1999 exceeded $28 billion.

“(BearingPoint) gave us the best of both worlds—the strategic thinking we’d expect from seasoned Big Five consultants, and the fast execution that a small, web-focused consulting firm could deliver. These two capabilities are what make (BearingPoint) really stand out in the eBusiness arena.”

— Guy Abramo, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Ingram Micro

The Challenge

Ingram Micro has been an Internet pioneer since 1996 when its website began to supplement its large telesales force’s efforts. As it became clear that the web was essential to strengthening relationships with customers, vendors, and partners, Ingram Micro turned its attention to formulating a new strategy to increase quality of service and deliver an improved online customer experience. To achieve these goals, Ingram Micro wanted to focus on:

• Using the web to make it easier for customers to do business with Ingram Micro
• Changing the role of the distributor by developing a community-based marketplace for technology services

The Solution

Ingram Micro recognized the importance of speed in implementing its business initiatives, so they chose BearingPoint to quickly develop and deploy enabling technology.

Ingram Micro and BearingPoint began by conducting research and interviews that identified opportunities for new revenue streams and cost reduction. Then, BearingPoint proposed an ambitious 60-day plan to improve the functionality of the existing website and built a functioning prototype in only four days. The team implemented Java-based technology that streamlined the online ordering process and enabled the site to support more than 70 million transactions a day. The new architecture has enabled Ingram Micro to engage in true web-based commerce by enabling functions, such as:

• Available to Promise
• See Thru Inventories (into suppliers via the web)
• Real-Time Price and Availability
• Demand Generation
• Supplier Integrated Infrastructure.

Ingram Micro and BearingPoint also developed an improved B2B website for the VentureTech Network, a membership organization of Ingram Micro’s customers that supports the small to midsize business community of technology resellers.

The Benefits

Ingram Micro was able to implement two site launches in less than 100 days. Since the new sites went live, Ingram Micro’s web business has increased 20 percent. The breakthrough revenue-generation capabilities are coupled with a decreasing reliance on telesales, which has enabled Ingram Micro to reduce operating costs. Equally important, the functionality improvements to Ingram Micro’s website have increased customer satisfaction.
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