Midpoint Trade has rolled out a new upgraded Web site with a focus on providing more sales transparency to its distribution clients. Called Midpoint Access, the site provides Midpoint clients with the same sales and inventory data available to Midpoint executives. “We wanted to remove ourselves from interpreting the data,” Midpoint president Eric Kampann said. “Our clients see what we see.”
Each Midpoint publisher gets its own Web page where they can track how their sales are doing through a variety of ways, including by channel, vendor and format (including e-book sales), and also gives access to up-to-date earnings statements. Midpoint director of sales Alex Kampmann noted that by providing clients with detailed information “our conversations can start on a higher plane, looking at more strategic issues” than giving out sales information. Publishers can see for themselves, for example, the number of books shipped for a particular title and the amount sold through.
Midpoint Access was developed over the course of the last year by an in-house team of six working with the development team RustyBrick. Josh Schneider, manager, distribution and information services for Midpoint, oversaw the upgrade and has been meeting with publishers in recent week explaining the new features. "I believe that Midpoint's new Web site is a great example of how technology can help increase and support traditional book publishing by making publishers more effective and efficient in supporting titles in bookstores and online," George Starks of Summer Fit Learning told PW.
In addition to more robust data, the new site also allows publishers to add their own catalogues and customers can buy directly through the site using links to a number of retailers. The site also includes a number of social media options. According to Eric Kampmann, the upgraded site “is all about enlisting our publishers in the process of helping them sell their titles.”
