Connect Distribution chooses Claranet to enhance its online business

The UK's largest brown and white goods distributor to deploy a managed application hosting service to re-align its business strategy, support its aftercare sites and improve online user experiences

With the success of its e-commerce business model which provides ready-made sites for retailers, Connect Distribution has experienced an exponential increase in consumer traffic and recorded 27 per cent growth in its online business this financial year.

The company decided to upgrade to a new level of hosting service that would manage this increased capacity and service complexity. With its customers dependent on Connect Distribution's site to order, track and manage various stock lines, the need for a reliable, highly available application hosting service was crucial when selecting its provider.

"Processing over 180,000 stock lines per month online, running over 100 spare parts websites and handling repair care for over 40 clients, our mission critical requirements were for a hosting and networking partner who would guarantee that our online business was available 24x7," said David Payne, director of business development at Connect Distribution. "Our websites are accessed daily by a high volume of customers who place their trust in us to ensure real-time visibility of stock and distribution. This availability is hugely dependent on the reliability and management of the hosted applications underpinning our websites' functionality. We take this responsibility very seriously and ensure we work with only the most qualified partners to meet the high standards needed to provide a smooth and hassle-free service for our customers."