These are the metrics that will matter most as the channel transitions to digital-first, ecosystem-driven models.
By Larry Walsh
The IT market, the channel, and nearly every industry are undergoing unprecedented change. Technological advancement, shifting customer buying behaviors, and evolving delivery and consumption models are redefining how business is conducted. The changes of the past 15 years were significant, but they pale in comparison to the transformation currently underway — and the disruption still to come over the next 15 years.
IT buyers now control their own decision-making processes, favoring independent research and purchasing through digital marketplaces. Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping operations across the ecosystem, automating manual tasks and streamlining procurement. Channel organizations are transitioning to ecosystem-based engagement models, wherein value is delivered through integrated solutions involving multiple vendors and service providers. This isn’t a gradual evolution; it’s a structural reset of how the channel operates.
The shifts are accelerating and will redefine how vendors measure channel value and productivity. Channelnomics maintains a library of channel and partnership key performance indicators (KPIs) that are well-suited to today’s environment. While revenue, profitability, and growth will continue to be essential metrics, others are emerging as equally important.
Looking ahead to the next 15 years of the channel, Channelnomics offers the following 15 KPIs to measure the productivity and value of future channel programs.
- Marketplace Share of Wallet: Measures the share of a customer’s total IT spending captured through marketplace This KPI reflects not just revenue but embedded relevance, signaling how central your solutions are to a customer’s broader IT strategy. It helps vendors gauge their digital presence and competitive positioning in a growing, self-service–oriented buying environment.
- Solution Adoption Rate: Tracks the percentage of customers that activate and regularly use the features and services of purchased solutions. A high adoption rate confirms that the offering is delivering value beyond the initial sale and justifies renewal and expansion potential. Vendors and partners can use this metric to identify what’s resonating with customers and where additional support or enablement may be required.
- Cross-Ecosystem Sales Velocity: Captures the average time required to close deals that involve multiple technologies or partners. A higher velocity points to operational cohesion and customer confidence in solution integration. This is a key indicator of how well an ecosystem functions in real-world sales scenarios, especially when delivering complex, bundled solutions.
- Recurring Revenue as a Percentage of Total Revenue: Highlights the degree to which a business is driven by predictable income from services, subscriptions, and support. This is a foundational measure of financial resilience and customer continuity. It reflects an organization’s ability to maintain long-term relationships and reduce dependency on one-time product sales.
- Average Deal Size (ADS) for Solutions: Measures the average value of bundled transactions that include hardware, software, services, and support. Growth in this KPI reflects success in selling integrated solutions over stand-alone products. Larger, solution-based deals generally indicate deeper customer engagement and stronger partner performance.
- Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) & Net Promoter Score (NPS): Evaluate customer satisfaction and loyalty, segmented by the partner or route to market. Vendors gain visibility into which parts of the ecosystem deliver consistent customer value and which require correction. This enables more targeted partner development and ensures that customer-facing efforts align with brand expectations.
- Customer Effort Score (CES): Assesses how easy it is for customers to navigate sales, onboarding, and support. Less effort indicates higher satisfaction and greater likelihood of repeat business, particularly in complex solution environments. This metric helps identify friction points in the customer journey that could lead to dissatisfaction or churn.
- Price Integrity: Tracks the degree to which partners sell at recommended prices with minimal discounting. High price integrity demonstrates a clear understanding of solution value and supports margin preservation across the ecosystem. It also helps prevent price erosion, protect brand equity, and maintain profitability across the channel.
- Ecosystem Engagement (Training, Asset Use, Co-Selling Activity): Measures the depth and frequency of partner interactions, such as training completions, asset downloads, and joint sales motions. High engagement reflects ecosystem health and partner commitment. Engaged partners are typically more effective in representing a vendor, generating pipeline, and supporting customer success.
- Customer Retention Rate: Monitors the percentage of customers maintained over time. Retention is a clear reflection of solution relevance, quality of service, and the ability of an ecosystem to deliver ongoing value. High retention minimizes customer acquisition costs and provides a more stable revenue base.
- Expansion Revenue Rate: Calculates revenue from upsell and cross-sell activity within an existing customer base. This is a direct indicator of how well partners identify evolving customer needs and convert them into incremental business. It also demonstrates the depth of customer relationships and a partner’s strategic selling capability.
- Attached & Solution Sales Ratio: Measures the frequency with which partners attach value-added services, software, or complementary technologies to core product sales. A strong ratio shows success in delivering holistic solutions, not just transactional fulfillment. This KPI reflects a partner’s ability to drive customer value and differentiate beyond price.
- Deal Registration & Co-Sell Win Rate: Tracks the percentage of registered opportunities that result in closed business. A high win rate demonstrates trust in the process, alignment between vendor and partner teams, and the ability to execute collaboratively. It’s also a signal of how well a vendor’s sales and support systems are enabling channel success.
- Average Time to Solution Delivery: Captures the end-to-end time from customer inquiry to full deployment. This reflects the efficiency of cross-partner operations and a vendor’s ability to enable seamless delivery in complex solution environments. Shorter delivery times lead to faster value realization and higher customer satisfaction.
- Partner-Influenced Sales: Measures the percentage of total sales in which partners played a significant role — whether through demand creation, technical consultation, or direct involvement in the sales cycle. This metric quantifies ecosystem impact beyond fulfillment and underscores partners’ strategic value in shaping customer decisions. It reinforces the importance of the indirect channel in driving business outcomes, not just facilitating transactions.
Channel KPIs are always contextual. Their relevance depends on a vendor’s business model, sales approach, target markets, and partner ecosystem. Not every KPI applies universally, and evolving channel dynamics will likely require these metrics to be refined — or replaced — over the next five to 15 years.
Channelnomics offers this framework not as a fixed standard but as directional guidance for channel leaders to begin rethinking performance measurement in a rapidly changing landscape.
Larry Walsh is the CEO, chief analyst, and founder of Channelnomics. He’s an expert on the development and execution of channel programs, disruptive sales models, and growth strategies for companies worldwide.
