Monitor-Makers Inch To ‘E’

As much as e-businesses are looking at using better and newer monitor technology, monitor manufacturers are beginning to look at the Web as a vehicle for selling products and supporting solution providers. "Obviously, e-business is becoming the industry's hottest topic," says Jeff Geis, national channel marketing manager at Samsung America Inc., San Jose. "The whole industry is changing around how we can utilize e-business platforms to sell products."

As a group, though, monitor-makers have been conservative in moving to online-selling vehicles, relying instead on the channel. ViewSonic Corp., for example, has a factory store online that sells accessories and remanufactured products, but leaves the sales of actual products to its channel.

Sony Corp. provides drivers, white papers and product information on its corporate site, but has a separate

business unit called VAIODirect that handles product sales. The site, however, focuses more on notebook and system sales, rather than monitors.

"The majority of display sales are influenced greatly by [solution providers]," says Lloyd Klark, senior marketing manager of display products at Sony Displays, San Jose. Likewise, Compaq Computer Corp. has an online shopping area that lets end users and solution providers buy monitors at its main corporate site.

Samsung Electronics also focuses on partner programs on the Web. "The Internet is a two-way street that cuts down the amount of communication needed," says Geis.