Samsung's AppStack Aims To Bring Bundle, Cloud, App, Hardware Discounts To SMBs

Samsung is betting that it can bolster SMB digitization via a curated app marketplace called AppStack that will be able to offer bundles and discounts via a series of partners including Google Cloud.

The effort, initially outlined in October, puts Samsung B2B in the middle of SMB moves to the cloud and leverage bundle discounts and manage subscriptions in one place. AppStack could come in handy for small businesses with less than 100 employees that have been whacked by COVID-19.

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A demo for AppStack's buying process included discounts for Google Cloud G Suite and e-signature app signNow. Partners also include eBillity, Paymo at launch with Canva, Freshbooks, ClickUp, Opentext, Zoom, and Pipedrive on tap. AppStack will curate apps by function as well as industry.

AppStack access, generally available later this summer, will be available to Samsung's existing e-commerce site for small businesses as well as Samsung Shop. Both will be interfaces to the same backend. Software subscriptions have a 10% discount that goes higher if the hardware is bundled.

Samsung is launching AppStack at its Samsung's Virtual Experience: Back to Business two-day conference. Taher Behbehani, general manager for Samsung's B2B Mobile Division, and other execs highlighted the company's B2B strategy in keynotes.

"We want to enable small businesses to do it once and do it right," said Behbehani. "Businesses want to run their businesses, not technology."

Behbehani said that Samsung's B2B business has more than 100 million active mobile devices in the field with 52% of customers are SMBs.

Via customer research, Samsung found that most SMBs are prioritizing cloud and software-as-a-service with access primarily via mobile devices as well as laptops. Costs hampered mobile app adoption for SMBs and were looking for subscription discounts.

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According to IDC, $332 billion in losses will be attributed to COVID-19 between 2020 and 2023 with two-thirds of those coming from SMBs.

Samsung's B2B strategy

At its two-day virtual conference, Samsung focused on its B2B strategy and how COVID-19 has accelerated some of its plans. Indeed, there has been a bevy of B2B related announcements from Samsung:

• Samsung intros wearable technology bundle for warehouse pickers
• Samsung launches Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition for Department of Defense
• Samsung trials drone-based 5G network inspection service
• Samsung XCover Pro available, may give Microsoft Teams a frontline worker boost
• Samsung's Galaxy S20 ushers in 5G upgrade cycle: Future-proof specs for business buyers
• Samsung aims to step up B2B efforts, court enterprise developers, launches rugged tablet

"We had to recalibrate what we did and how we did it," said Behbehani, who noted that 10 years of transformation in hospitals has happened in months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Behbehani's team was mostly remote, but many groups within Samsung weren't used to running that way.

Samsung has been accelerating plans to target verticals including health care, workplace safety, and remote learning. "Social distancing was a whole new field for us," said Behbehani.

"Thirty percent of our business came from these new areas in a short amount of time," said Behbehani.