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Avnet honored for its ability to provide an e-commerce platform for customers around the world with a localized online shopping experience
Phoenix -- Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a leading global technology distributor, today announced that it was named to the 2011 InformationWeek 500, an annual listing of the most innovative users of business technology. Avnet was acknowledged for its global e-commerce platform, which provides consistent functionality for its electronic components customers across multiple regions, while still giving them a localized online experience. The 2011 list was revealed last night at a gala awards ceremony at the exclusive InformationWeek 500 Conference.
"As an IT team, we strive to be a true business partner and find technology-based solutions that help our customers and Avnet grow globally," said Steve Phillips, chief information officer, Avnet, Inc. "Our e-commerce initiative is a great example of how business and IT can collaborate to accelerate our success and create a positive customer experience globally. Our IT team members leveraged their technical skills to provide our e-commerce customers with a localized experience around the world, which helped Avnet increase revenues and manage a market shift in how business is conducted. This InformationWeek honor recognizes Avnet for our commitment to using technology innovatively to further our business goals."
Avnet was selected for the InformationWeek 500 based on Avnet Express, which is the e-commerce engine for Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, Inc. During the last year, Avnet enhanced its e-commerce platform to provide consistent functionality globally, while still giving Avnet's customers in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) localized experiences. As a result, Avnet's e-commerce customers worldwide now have access to more than five million parts online and can purchase parts that are available in Avnet's Americas, Asian and European warehouses, reducing delivery time for in-region customers. Additionally, the e-commerce site now provides information in nine languages and 13 currencies. Avnet also became the first authorized distributor in Asia to offer integrated payment capabilities in China, and customers can now purchase parts using AliPay, UnionPay, Visa or Mastercard.
"We are constantly searching for new ways to enhance the experience of our electronic component e-commerce customers," said Beth Ely, senior vice president of Avnet Express. "As Avnet began to attract more and more electronic component e-commerce customers in Asia Pacific and EMEA, we wanted to provide them with content that aligned with their language, currency and payment needs. The Avnet Express team partnered with our IT team to create a globally-enabled e-commerce offering that provides a high level of localization, allowing our customers to conduct business exactly how they want to in their regions."
InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation's most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of America's best-known companies. The InformationWeek 500 is unique among corporate rankings as it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology, rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders.
"For 23 years, the InformationWeek 500 has chronicled and honored the most innovative users of business technology," said InformationWeek Editor-In-Chief Rob Preston. "In this day and age, however, being innovative isn't enough. Companies and their IT organizations need to innovate faster than ever before to stay a step or two ahead of their customers, partners, and competitors. This year's ranking placed special emphasis on those high-octane business technology innovators."
In addition to ranking on the InformationWeek 500, Avnet's director of IT enterprise architecture and security services, Sean Valcamp, presented on a panel at the InformationWeek 500 conference. The panel, "Time to Get on Board with Consumer Technology," focused on how employee and customer demands to use the latest consumer technologies -- mobile, social, collaboration, open source -- are setting the agenda for business IT.
Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/.
Follow Avnet on Twitter @AvnetComms
Connect with Avnet on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Avnet/111721912175548
View videos from Avnet and its business partners at http://www.avnetondemand.com/
Read more about Avnet on our blog at http://blogging.avnet.com/weblog/mandablog/
About InformationWeek Business Technology Network
The InformationWeek Business Technology Network provides IT executives with unique analysis and tools that parallel their work flow—from defining and framing objectives through to the evaluation and recommendation of solutions. Anchored by InformationWeek, the multimedia powerhouse that looks across the enterprise, the network scales across the most critical technology categories with online properties like DarkReading.com (security), NetworkComputing.com (networking and communications) and BYTE (consumer technology). The network also provides focused content for key IT targets, such as CIOs, developers, and SMBs via InformationWeek Global CIO, Dr. Dobb's and InformationWeek SMB, as well as vital vertical industries with InformationWeek Financial Services, Government and Healthcare sites. Content is at the nucleus of our information distribution strategy—"IT professionals turn to our experts and communities to stay informed, get advice and research technologies to make strategic business decisions.
About Avnet, Inc.
Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of more than 100,000 customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended July 2, 2011, Avnet generated revenue of $26.5 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.
Media Contacts
Marcia Chapman
Brodeur Partners, for Avnet
480.308.0284
mchapman@brodeur.com
Winnie Ng Schuchman
Vice President, Marketing, InformationWeek
631.406.6507
wng@techweb.com
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