Service partnership expects to work with Ebuyer's full consumer range before Christmas

E-tailer Ebuyer has expanded into services through a partnership with online IT skills marketplace OrderWork. Under the terms of the deal, OrderWork will source engineers from its national IT marketplace to install products ordered from Ebuyer’s online store.

Currently, the service only applies to business-to-business products and routers, but Ebuyer is looking to roll it out across its consumer range before Christmas.

Dave Wood, Ebuyer’s head of commercial operations, said: “As digital technology becomes ubiquitous, so has the frustration surrounding installing hardware, particularly routers.

“We wanted to ease that by offering reasonably priced services, but realised it was not viable to provide installation and support services ourselves. OrderWork’s business model and values fitted that of Ebuyer.”

The service enables Ebuyer customers to choose whether to buy a product and installation in one package or do each separately. Delivered with the goods will be details of who to call to arrange installation.

Asked what happens if OrderWork is unable to source an engineer, Tom Bausemer, commercial director at OrderWork, said: “Our network of IT firms is so vast that we can always find an engineer.

“It is estimated that firms use only 60 ­ 70 per cent of their capacity, and it is this under-capacity we tap into.”

Jonathan Wall, marketing director at rival e-tailer Dabs, said: “Services are such an important offering that you need to be certain that your partner can deliver on time.