Elevated Partner Engagement and Efficiency with ZiftONE - Panasonic Connect Europe

THE CHALLENGE

Panasonic Corporation strives to enhance lives and contribute to society through a diverse range of consumer, business, and industrial products. Panasonic Connect Europe GmbH (a B2B holding company) has a robust presence in Europe and a workforce of over 500 employees.

“In recent years, we evolved into ‘Panasonic Connect Europe’,” said Frank Nijholt, European Channel Marketing Manager. “Our combined businesses are incredibly diverse, which made it challenging to implement a single program on a unified platform for all our varied stakeholders.”

To address these challenges, Panasonic Connect Europe sought to harmonize their respective partner management systems into a single platform that could seamlessly integrate with Salesforce (SFDC), Product Information Management (PIM), Digital Asset Management (DAM), and provide essential marketing tools with ease of maintenance.

After consulting multiple PRM solutions, ZiftONE emerged as the ideal solution, offering the flexibility to adapt to the business’ unique processes and offering the comprehensive suite of tools required.

THE RESULTS

Panasonic Connect relies heavily on their extensive network of channel partners across 22+ countries, and managing a partner program across multiple divisions and business units poses significant challenges.

Implementing ZiftONE has improved partner engagement and operational efficiency. Frank points out one notable benefit is how partners utilise the same tools in various innovative ways. For example, some partners use a WebWidget as a “Contact Me” form on their website, capturing all leads in one place.

Partner users have become more engaged and proactive, leveraging the platform’s full range of functionalities. Larger partners actively use the core portal functionalities, such as the collateral library, certifications, MDF requests, and deal registration. But the small to medium size partners, who don’t necessarily have access to a dedicated in-house marketing resource, also take advantage of the social media and campaign features available through ZiftONE. The creation of custom pages to house sector-specific materials, and the introduction of an on-portal partner podcast are some of the special additions Panasonic Connect Europe has implemented. These have also proven to be popular among users, with page views increasing day on day. Then from a management perspective, the detailed analytics have allowed better tracking and support of partner activities.

THE SOLUTION

Panasonic Connect Europe leveraged ZiftONE to streamline their partner program and enhance partner engagement. The flexibility, comprehensive toolset, and self-service capabilities of ZiftONE enabled the team to provide exceptional support to a diverse network of partners across Europe. As the business continues to grow and evolve, ZiftONE remains a pivotal component in the strategy to enhance partner relationships and drive business success.

“For us, the partner portal is a major tool for our channel partners. Supporting 22+ countries in Europe and this diverse array of channel partners, it’s crucial to have a solid application.”