Avnet Express enhances website
By James Carbone -- Purchasing, 7/17/2008 2:00:00 AM
Avnet Express, the small order division of Avnet Electronics Marketing, recently added new functionality to its website, providing more information about parts to buyers and engineers.
The new site is designed to help customers “choose parts wisely,” says Beth Ely, senior vice president new channel development for Avnet in Phoenix.
Most distributor websites have part search functionality. Buyers can plug in part number and see if it is in stock, or they can use a component characteristic or specification and the search engine will identify parts that match the criteria.
Avnet Express' website has that functionality, but also provides a variety of information about the components, says Ely. Much of the information centers on supply issues.
For instance, the site can provide information about which parts get used the most or which parts have the best technology roadmaps.
“We tell engineers and buyers if the part is one of our top sellers,” says Ely. “So you know that if you select the part, you are not picking a part that will be obsolete.”
The idea is for buyers and engineers not just to find a part “that meets their electrical needs, but find a part that is a good overall choice for them. So when they go into manufacturing that product, they can find the part it is easily supported,” says Ely.
The site provides other information such as whether an evaluation board is available for the part if there is a seminar available on the technology the part, she says.
The website changes were made based on surveys of customers and from input from Avnet's customer council, and from Avnet's field application engineers, who work with customers. Customers expressed an interest in being able to find out on the website if parts were available in prototype quantities.
“Some customers wanted to know if they could buy one piece of something,” she says. The site now provides that information.
Avnet Express enhances site
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