Best Buy might be better known for consumer sales, even if Best Buy for Business (BBFB) has been part of the B2B market for quite a while, selling peripherals and accessories-- and now it adds Dell to the business portfolio.
BBFB sells a number of major brands (including HP, Lenovo and Samsung) as well as products from enterprise vendors such as Wyse Technologies, NComputing, Lacie and Fujitsu.
Why is a consumer product retailer pushing further towards enterprise? One has to keep in mind traditional retail is in trouble, and even Best Buy faces sliding revenues as customers do even more of their shopping online.
No wonder then that the retailer is making moves towards diversification-- in 2011 it bought managed services provider MindSHIFT, and expanded its services capabilities with Speakeasy and Geek Squad.
The Dell addition also shows vendors are looking for more volume national sales options, preferably under a trusted brand.
It is a sign of a changing market dynamic, and the rise of a new breed of channel competition. VARs and MSPs might not be able to rival Best Buy prices...