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On June 16 of 2022, a mere 15 weeks after the final approval of Sahoo’s initial strategy, Xvantage went live with a technical MVP, offering configure-to-order capabilities as well as the ability to handle returns, customer care, payment integration, and product discovery. Ingram Micro had chosen to launch the platform in Germany and the U.S., two sizable markets that would quickly show whether or not Xvantage could deliver the value it promised.
The launch went off without a hitch, but in the weeks and months that followed, Xvantage hit unexpected hurdles. Keeping a close eye on key metrics—including overall revenue, gross profit, operating income, and working capital—the Ingram Micro team didn’t see immediate results. “We had a phase where the results were not amazingly great,” recalls Sahoo. “People are doubting the value of the platform and the investment.” As Xvantage expanded, there was also pushback from overseas markets, specifically in Germany, where local leads felt that the company was pushing U.S. practices without understanding European business standards.
Undaunted, the Ingram Micro team pushed Xvantage forward. In the ensuing months, more features were added to Xvantage as the platform rolled out across the globe. April 2023 marked the launch of better engines for automation. In May of 2023, Xvantage finally achieved its “single pane of glass” interface for the U.S. market, offering a unified customer experience platform for Ingram Micro cloud, hardware, software, and services. By September 2023, more than 150 AI and machine-learning models were built and in use throughout Xvantage. In July of 2024, Xvantage debuted an integrated hyperscaler marketplace, beginning with Amazon Web Services, offering seamless integration for third-party cloud solutions. Throughout it all, the Ingram Micro team remained dedicated to proving Xvantage’s business impact, and not just its technological wizardry. “We have this opportunity to really create a sustainable competitive advantage in the organization that will help us expand margin in an otherwise low margin marketplace,” recalled Sherman.
Xvantage’s value for customers—and for Ingram Micro itself—only grew from there. For resellers, Xvantage offered a wealth of new AI-driven insights and product recommendations. What used to take hours or even days, like special pricing in the U.S., could be accomplished on Xvantage in mere seconds. “What they're getting from us is a view of their business they've never had before,” explained Anaya. “Some of them are telling us we have more data on them than they do with their own business, and so we're allowing them to really understand the big picture.” Thanks to Xvantage, the Ingram Micro team was also able to accurately track its attributable marketing for the first time.
Xvantage’s AI also changed the way Ingram Micro’s salesforce worked, shifting their taskload away from administrative duties and towards a more proactive, consultative role. For example, Xvantage led to the development of an “intelligent digital assistant” (better known as IDA), which uses data to identify customer growth opportunities within Ingram Micro’s existing account base. “With IDA, in the morning the seller walks in, turns on their systems, and IDA has a list of calls that they need to make that are high priority, with a high percentage of close ratio. These are the hottest leads that you're going to get for the day. So now they're able to proactively call and help our customers grow,” said Bill Brandel.
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