Andrew Harris, chief sales and marketing officer, DCC Technologies.
When I speak with resellers across South Africa, one message comes through clearly: they are tired of disruption. The hype, the endless change, the promise of “new platforms/new models/new everything” often creates uncertainty rather than opportunity. What resellers really need is traction: clarity, predictability and support. Distribution must deliver, not just disrupt.
Innovation in our industry should never be about chaos. It should be about making life easier for the people who keep the channel alive. For resellers, that means predictable pricing, reliable stock availability and systems that save them time. When these basics work, resellers can focus on building solutions for their customers rather than chasing down quotes or worrying whether stock will arrive.
Channel research backs this up. According to the Context ChannelWatch survey of South African resellers in 2024, “ease of doing business” and “predictable supply” were ranked higher than any other factors when asked what they value most in distribution.(1) This is a clear sign that traction beats disruption in practice.
One of the most repeated frustrations I hear is: “Why quote today, deliver in who knows how many weeks?” or “Why is the price so variable when demand is stable?” These are not minor irritations. They are real barriers to growth. As I said recently in a piece titled: Why connection is the new infrastructure in ICT distribution: “Some of our resellers have shifted almost entirely to transacting through our e-commerce platform, Engage. One told the company candidly that what they gained was not a discount or a rebate, but time.”(2) Time to plan, time to serve their customers, time to grow.
If we reframe what “innovation” means, we can shift from disruption to delivery. Practical innovation looks like accurate forecasting tools, tighter inventory visibility, easier access to credit for smaller resellers and logistics that function reliably even when external pressures such as supply chain constraints or power interruptions are at play. It also means recognising the human side of distribution. A reseller may need someone to walk them through a complex solution or provide clear advice, and that kind of support builds trust in ways that automation alone cannot.
The real lesson from our work with the channel is that success comes from listening. Resellers have told us where the cracks appear: when vendor silos make it hard to access a complete solution, when quoting tools are cumbersome or when smaller businesses feel overlooked. By acting on that feedback, distribution can provide the systems and processes that remove friction, give clarity and free up time for growth. What matters is not launching something new for the sake of it, but launching something useful.
In a market where growth depends on reliability, being a distributor who keeps promises is a differentiator. Disruption quickly loses its appeal without dependability. Resellers do not need another shake-up. They need the confidence that when they commit, the rest of the value chain will commit with them.
If you are a reseller, ask yourself: “Can my distributor help me see ahead? Will they support me through erratic supply and price swings? Do they make my life easier, not harder?” If the answer is “yes”, then you are standing on traction, not hype.
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