HP Adds Partner Perk for Display and Accessories Sales

HP Inc. on Thursday said it’s deviating from its standard twice-a-year cycle – typically November and May – for Partner First partner program updates, with the release of a new display and accessories (D&A) accelerator.

The first-time launch of a D&A accelerator in the U.S. doubles the benefit and incentives on multiple commercial displays and accessories.

HP’s Gary Simms

“We’re doing it because HP is always keeping an eye on the trends, watching where the market opportunities are, and displays and accessories are where we can enable key growth and financial benefits immediately to our channel partners,” Gary Simms, head of partner programs and enablement at HP Inc., told Channel Futures.

Starting Friday, HP will add more to its compensation model for gold and platinum PC channel partners, which number about 400 in the U.S., according to the vendor. The D&A accelerator will double the incentives for eligible partners.

The commercial displays and accessories SKUs include: commercial desktop accessories, commercial displays, commercial notebook accessories, detachable accessories, workstation accessories and workstation displays.

While Simms recognizes that partners aren’t keen on managing unpredictable changes in their business, HP felt that the opportunity in D&A was too ripe to put off for several more months.

Simms says there’s no correlation between the release of its accelerator and recent figures that put Lenovo ahead of HP in the global PC market.

“The announcement we’re making has nothing to do with the market-share figures. We’ve been working on this [D&A] accelerator for a while, based on the market opportunity and trends we saw in the U.S. market specifically,” he said.

One trend Simms refers to is growth in the personal-system segment that creates demand for displays, docking stations and other accessories. He also mentioned use cases for multiple displays.

“From a mobility perspective, we’re seeing much more of a mobile workforce, who, when they’re in the office, bring opportunities for us in terms of docks, displays and keyboards, so they can have that full experience in the work environment.”