APG Cash Drawer has always done business through the channel, and we plan to continue this approach well into the future. As new players find their way into the POS channel, we thought this would be a good time to reaffirm our commitment to the indirect channel model and our channel partners.
Our sales model relies on a channel infrastructure with two main pillars – OEMs and distribution. We supply private labeled cash drawer solutions to various OEMs that put their own brand on the product. When you walk into a convenience store, restaurant, supermarket, retailer, department store or post office branch – just to name a few – there’s a very good chance the person behind the counter is using an APG cash drawer.
Our distribution channel handles APG-branded solutions and consists of our distributors – ScanScource, BlueStar, Ingram Micro and Metropolitan Sales – and of course you, the dealers, VARs and integrators. We depend on our distributors to stock and ship our solutions to our dealers and VARs, who ultimately get them in the hands of the end customers.
Our distributors serve a vital function in that, in addition to stocking product and shipping quickly to meet customer demands they extend lines of credit to our partners to finance customer deals. This gives partners a level of flexibility many would be hard-pressed to get from a bank. Thanks to distributors’ financing, a lot of deals get done that might otherwise not materialize because partners often lack the resources to finance larger purchases.
New Market Players
Over the years, our channel partners have done a great job for us, and we appreciate the hard work they put into getting our brand into the market. That’s why you have our commitment to never sell direct. When we get leads through our website or at trade shows, we pass them on to distributors, who then forward them to a partner.
As new players such as payment card processors and mobile POS solution providers get into the POS market, we see the value our distribution channel can bring, offering the quick response needed in such a dynamic market. We welcome these new players and appreciate their ability to bring new solutions in new market sectors that end users are looking for. Our channel and partners offer a wide range of POS solutions and expand our reach customers worldwide.
One such market that demonstrates great value is the mobile POS sector – partners who offer mPOS solutions that leverage transactions facilitated by smartphones and tablets in retail and hospitality environments are attractive to our business. These solution providers are an exciting development in our industry, and we’ve invested resources to develop cutting-edge wireless and Bluetooth solutions as consumer demand and POS technology evolves.
Payment processors are also an integral part of the overall POS solution, and we certainly are happy to work with them as well.
We realize that without our channel we wouldn’t be where we are today. Our channel relationships help us reach new customers and provide valuable services to existing ones. Together we have grown – and we fully expect our relationship will remain productive and mutually beneficial well into the future.
Click here to view our current list of Global Partners. Interested in becoming a partner? Contact us today!
