Although Vanstar s Reneau says a survey of 200 buyers found little interest in online ordering, her company soon will offer it. Digital s Kennett says Web ordering is an exploding growth area for his company. Web sites increasingly allow customers to configure their own PCs, giving them more choice. Dell, for example, offers more than 10,000 system configurations. SMAC Data Systems Inc., a growing PC manufacturer in Gaithersburg, Md., recently launched its Web site with an emphasis on allowing buyers to customize their orders.
Online sales can be a mixed blessing.
Some question whether the buyer gets enough guidance and information. Unless you know exactly what you want, you can unwittingly be comparing apples and oranges, says Steve Charles, a partner in the Immix Group, a McLean, Va., consulting firm. Terms and conditions often are not spelled out on Web sales sites, he says, and important details about factors such as technical compatibility with other systems may be missing. With so many choices and difficult comparisons confronting PC buyers, there s a new movement to eliminate much of the buying conundrum. Called seat management, it is expected to become widely available to federal agencies through GSA and NASA this summer.