3. Using PartnerAccess™ to Innovate Your Channel Marketing August 2006
Introduction
In online commerce, the quality—and completeness—of product content can make or break a sale. Whereas
the offline world has salespeople, product packaging and in-store displays that communicate the benefits of
products directly to customers, online retailers must rely solely on electronic product content to replace the
tactile and visual experience of interacting with the physical product. The quality accuracy and timeliness of
this electronic product content is the key to providing enough relevant information for the consumer to make
a well-informed purchase decision.
The CNET Channel Solution
CNET Channel recognized the product content challenges faced by manufacturers and retailers and
developed a platform for collecting and normalizing data across multiple categories, regardless of
manufacturer. Today, CNET Channel is the leading independent source of on-demand product information
covering thousands of manufacturers worldwide and reaching about 75 percent of the leading channel
partners. Distributors, retailers, corporate resellers, shopping portals and VARs using CNET Channel
products have access to detailed product content that enables users to search, browse, view, and research
products online.
Bringing Manufacturers into the Equation
Building on the industry’s most extensive electronic product content platform and deep insight into the needs
of resellers, CNET Channel’s PartnerAccess solution allows manufacturers to reduce the costs of
disseminating product content and information to the channel and increase revenues by influencing point-of-
sale buying decisions.
Through its PartnerAccess solution, CNET Channel integrates manufacturers into the data production
process, enabling them to create, launch, deliver and track product content and its dissemination across
CNET Channel’s broad channel network.
PartnerAccess provides the manufacturer with unprecedented control over the content syndicated throughout
the channel including:
• Creation of new product content sheets and launch date control
• Ability to make corrections, edits and changes to data components such as product image,
marketing text, product specs and related products
• Enhance SKUs with rich content including multiple images, key selling points, what’s in the
box, user manuals, brochures, and online demo’s
• Track which channel partners are using CNET Channel content for products, providing insight
into product popularity, channel traction, and product mix
• Individual login with filters, dashboards and advanced search capabilities to simplify catalog
management.
Working with CNET Channel’s PartnerAccess Solution
PartnerAccess is most effective when used prior to product launch; this ensures that product content is
available for channel partners at the earliest stages of the product sales life cycle. PartnerAccess is also
effective for updating and enhancing product content already present in the channel. Using CNET Channel’s
syndication network allows the manufacturer to update the content at multiple channel partners through a
single process.
We designed PartnerAccess to fulfill the needs of manufacturers with multiple levels of technical integration
by offering web-based, manual file based, and automated file exchange. Regardless of the method used,
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4. Using PartnerAccess™ to Innovate Your Channel Marketing August 2006
the system allows the manufacturer to create, influence and enhance the product content provided by CNET
Channel to our network of channel partners.
Web-Based
PartnerAccess offers a web-based application with individual user logins. Through the application users can
use the PartnerAccess content management system to perform content related activities including:
Standard Product Content Components
Replace/Edit the Primary Image and Marketing Description
Make Corrections to Product Specifications
Add or Remove Links to Related Products
Enhance SKUs
Add Multiple Formats of Rich Content
o Multi-Angle and High Resolution Product Images
o Users Manuals
o Demos and rotational imagery
o Key Selling Features and What's in the Box
Proactively Create New SKUs
Add SKU for Creation
Add Unstructured Document to "On Hold" SKUs
Reject" a Part Number
Launch New SKUs
Control the Product Launch Date (Restrict Access/Distribution)
Assign Premier Channel Players for Advance SKU Distribution
Mark the Product "End-of-Life"
Tracking SKU Corrections
View All Submitted Corrections on a Specific SKU
Verification Status of Submitted Corrections
Catalog Statistics
Customizable Dashboards
Track Products and Mark "Favorite" Products for Easy Access to Status Changes
View Active SKU Dissemination Details on “Requestors” and “Receivers”
Catalog Browsing
Filter Settings by Multiple Product Categories and Multiple Markets
Run Side-by-Side Comparisons (Up to 3 SKUs)
View Complete Product content Sheets
Search, Sort and Export Your Entire Product Catalog Results to File
Excel File-Based
PartnerAccess also offers the user the ability to interact with the system using an Excel file template for
multiple SKU updates or SKU creation requests. Through the excel template the user can add new SKUs for
creation and provide new or updated information on the following fields:
• Set SKU for Creation
• Control Life-Cycle (Launch date and End of Life)
• Update or Add Marketing Copy
• Provide a URL to the Products Primary Image
• Provide or Update Key Selling Points
• Provide or Update What’s in the Box
• Provide URLs to Rich Content (Multiple Images, User Manual or Product Brochure)
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5. Using PartnerAccess™ to Innovate Your Channel Marketing August 2006
Based on the information provided in the excel template if the part number matches an existing product in
CNET Channel’s database then the information will be used as an update. This content will be distributed to
applicable channel partners. If the part number does not match an existing product in CNET Channel’s
database then that SKU will be queued for production and distributed to applicable channel partners upon
completion or held till the specified launch date.
XML File-Based
PartnerAccess also supports data transfer through automated structured file exchange such as XML. The
XML feed should be automated and pushed to CNET Channel’s FTP server on regular intervals. Each
manufacturer XML feed will be evaluated for content, consistency and usability. Based on the evaluation,
CNET Channel will build a specific file handling routine. The XML feed can be used to request the creation
of new SKUs and provide updates to existing SKUs. In general the XML spec will be mapped to CNET
Channel’s taxonomy. Some data fields can be processed automatically others will require special handling
and will be processed manually at CNET Channel’s data collection facility.
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6. Using PartnerAccess™ to Innovate Your Channel Marketing August 2006
Learn More
In addition to this white paper, IT and consumer electronics manufacturers can read the white paper
“Ensuring Sales Effectiveness in a Complex Channel Environment – Overcome the Challenges and
Inefficiencies of Creating, Distributing and Communicating Product Information to Your Channel Partners”, ─
view a case study ─ or launch our QuickTour by visiting http://www.partneraccess.com or contacting a
regional PartnerAccess representative.
Key CNET Channel PartnerAccess contacts:
Eric Lundin
Regional Sales Manager, North/South America
+1.617.225.3465
eric.lundin@cnet.com
Tom Stanton
Account Manager, North/South America
+1.949-399-8792
thomas.stanton@cnet.com
Thierry Carra
Regional Sales Director, Europe/Asia/Pacific
+331.695.92591
thierry.carra@cnet.com
Carsten Herzog
Account Manager, Europe/Asia/Pacific
+41.219.430395
Carsten.herzog@cnet.com
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