Success Story - Video Product Distributors

Video Product Distributor's Starring Role on the Web

  Clamoring for the latest DeNiro video release? Doing a film study of 1950's musicals? Addicted to popular comedies or obscure foreign flicks? Chances are, if you are a video retailer, you'll have no problem finding the titles you want, when and where you want them, now that Video Product Distributors (VPD), the second largest video and digital video disk distributors in the country, released its latest production­ an online ordering system that earns critical raves.
  "By having our 70,000­plus titles online, we now offer video retailers the flexibility and freedom to service their customers' needs better," said Bryan Ino, VPD's webmaster.

A Stellar Performance
  VPD wanted to offer Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and other video retailers around­the­clock convenience in finding and ordering the titles they want. It cast BravePoint in the starring role as its technology solutions provider. BravePoint Web­enabled VPD's Progress­ based applications through Webspeed and turned VPD's static marketing presence into a dynamic, interactive tool for its customers.
  Now, instead of calling their sales reps to check availability, retailers tap into two separate search areas­one for titles that have not yet "streeted," or been released for video distribution, and one for all current catalog items. Instead of faxing or e­mailing orders, they simply place their orders online, at their convenience and at their specific negotiated price point.
  In addition to improving efficiency for VPD and its customers, Webspeed's open development platform enabled VPD to enhance its online offerings with a budget planner that already existed on its native system. Through this feature, customers can check their spending histories with VPD in real time, and VPD can eliminate the costly printing of frequent paper reports.
  Many retailers, thrilled with the system's comprehensive listings and ease of use, actually use the online catalog as a customer service feature in their stores. Now, when someone comes in looking for Harold and Maude, they simply pull up the listing on the screen and order it. Talk about service. And with the time retailers save searching, ordering and even checking shipping status online, they can now dedicate themselves to much more important things­ like screening that new science fiction sequel.