By Sarah Left, 10 January 2000 00:15
NEWS Despite the seeming ubiquity of business-to-business ecommerce, not all users and vendors are convinced that they will use the Internet to make their IT purchases in the future. Respondents to Silicon.com's Big Question were divided on the subject, with half saying they don't see a time when they will do all the company shopping online. Bob Brereton, IT director at tool hire company, HSS, said: "There will always be requirements that are so specialised they require contact with other human beings to specify and agree what should be provided." Darren Stringer, commercial services director at Planet Online, agreed. He insisted: "I certainly hope we don't, because I think one of the great things about being in the IT business is the people that you meet and the relationships that you build." But Jack McMaster, CEO of telecoms firm, KPNQwest, said his company does plan to do 100 per cent of its IT buying online. "In fact, I think we'll be biased towards suppliers who are able to handle us in that way," he added. Peter Radley, CEO of Alcatel, added: "We would expect, as a supplier of equipment to corporate networks, our customers to be buying online from us. It's not happening today, but increasingly there is that demand from the marketplace." The full programme is available in our Reseller Channel (http://www.silicon.com/a34964 ).
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