RVT won the Reseller of the Year (£5m to £20m) at the 2024 Stock in the Channel Awards – and Ben O’Brien from RVT explains how a transformational year for the company has propelled it to new levels of success.
Last year was a transformative one for RVT – and one that brought success, not just with a growth in sales, but also by taking the Reseller of the Year award at the 2024 Stock in the Channel awards, better known as the Stockies.
Here, RVT’s marketing & eBusiness director, Ben O’Brien, talks about how big changes behind the scenes have enabled the company to make great strides in the past 12 months.
News in the Channel: How was 2024 for RVT? What were the main successes?
Ben O’Brien: 2024 was a transformational year for RVT. We didn’t just grow in sales; we made some big changes behind the scenes to build a stronger foundation for the future. We modernised our systems, took on bigger and more complex IT projects and made sure we didn’t lose sight of what matters most – delivering for our customers. Expanding our B2B sales team, strengthening our expertise in cloud services and security and growing our managed services offering were all major steps forward for us.
Q: Did RVT face any challenges in this period and how were they overcome?
BO’B: Change is never easy, and we were making big shifts while still growing. Moving to HubSpot was a huge step in improving productivity for our sales team, and launching our new eCommerce storefront meant giving customers more self-serve options. Stock in the Channel was a huge help in making sure we could maintain momentum while these changes were happening in the background. Keeping the wheels turning smoothly was a massive team effort, and it’s something we’re really proud of.
Q: What were the biggest trends you saw from customers in 2024?
BO’B: We saw a clear move away from one-off IT purchases towards more integrated, long-term solutions. Customers were thinking bigger, investing in infrastructure modernisation and looking for partners that could go beyond just supplying the tin. Our average order values went up, and we saw more businesses wanting help with solution design, implementation and ongoing management. The need for expertise and partnership was stronger than ever. Turns out digital transformation isn’t slowing down anytime soon… who knew?
Q: How did customer demand change over the course of the year?
BO’B: Customers have been thinking more strategically. There’s been a shift from buying individual mobile or endpoint solutions to investing in full-scale projects across datacentre, network security and managed services. More businesses also wanted easier procurement and self-serve options, which reinforced our decision to enhance our eCommerce capabilities early in the year. That’s something we’ll keep refining because making life easier for our customers is always a priority.
Q: What do you put your success down to in winning the Reseller of the Year award?
BO’B: Honestly, we’re humbled to have won this award, and don’t take it for granted. Success has come down to a few key things: focusing on making our operations as smooth as possible, making sure our customers always feel supported and growing our team in the right way. We’ve expanded our B2B sales team, brought in new expertise and invested in training through our Sales Academy. We’ve also doubled down on our relationships with vendors and distribution partners, which has helped us stay ahead of the curve. If we had to guess, we’d say being easy to work with probably didn’t hurt either!
Q: What is your assessment of the health of the channel currently?
BO’B: The channel is strong, but it’s evolving fast. The businesses that will thrive are the ones that can go beyond just selling products and offer real value-added services. Procurement is becoming more streamlined, ecommerce and CRM systems are becoming critical, and AI is picking up pace in ways we couldn’t have predicted even a year ago. We’re integrating AI into our CRM, analytics and customer service tools, and it’s exciting to see how it’s changing the way customers engage with us. If AI can help answer a question faster and get customers the outcome they need, while still giving them access to our team’s expertise, then who are we to stand in the way?
Q: What do you think will be the main trends in 2025 for your business and the wider channel?
BO’B: For RVT, 2025 is going to be about deepening our expertise in larger IT projects and expanding our managed services offering. Across the channel, we expect to see more businesses investing in infrastructure modernisation and prioritising efficiency through digital transformation. Procurement will continue to evolve, and the businesses that can make it seamless and easy for customers will have a real advantage.
Q: What are your plans for the remainder of this year?
BO’B: Our focus is simple, make it easier for customers to do business with us. We’re going to keep evolving our eCommerce platform, adding more self-service options and expanding our services portfolio. We’re also strengthening our partnerships to support businesses with even more complex IT needs. Internally, we’re making sure our systems continue to improve so that our team can work smarter and deliver even greater value to our customers.
Q: How do you use Stock in the Channel?
BO’B: Stock in the Channel has been a key part of our ability to scale while keeping procurement efficient. It helps us check real-time stock availability, optimise sourcing, and automate our quoting processes so we can get the right solutions to customers as quickly as possible. As we continue to enhance our service offering, it remains a crucial tool in making sure we deliver the best experience possible.
News in the Channel would like to thank Ben O’Brien for his time, and take the opportunity on behalf of Stock in the Channel to wish him, and all his RVT colleagues, every success in the year ahead. Perhaps another Stockies Award? Save the date: 24 to 27 November 2025 is Stockies week.