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Nearly half of UK channel partners are prioritising analytics-led offerings for growth in 2026, reflecting a regional shift towards insight-led strategies amid emerging capability gaps and increasing AI demand.
Channel partners in the UK are placing data-driven innovation at the centre of their 2026 growth strategies, with almost half planning new investment in analytics-led offerings to boost revenue and profitability, according to research from Westcon-Comstor published by Comms Business. The survey of 500 partners across five countries found 47 per cent of UK respondents intend to prioritise data-led services over other strategic moves such as market expansion or a shift to managed services and subscription models, a higher share than the global average of 40 per cent. The study also found 24 per cent of UK partners view data-driven consulting as the single most promising revenue stream from digital transformation. [1]
The findings suggest partners are turning real-time data into practical tools for customer engagement and go-to-market optimisation. Across the markets surveyed, respondents reported using live analytics to track customer behaviour and preferences (57 per cent), refine marketing and sales strategies (50 per cent) and identify market trends (42 per cent). According to the report by CRN Asia, Singapore also shows strong uptake, with 36 per cent of partners prioritising analytics-led offerings, underscoring a regional shift towards insight-led approaches. [1][4]
Those trends align with Westcon-Comstor’s push to embed predictive analytics in channel sales activity through its Intelligent Demand programme. The distributor said Intelligent Demand combines predictive analytics, technographic and intent data, analyst research and proprietary data science to help partners identify higher-propensity opportunities, enhance customer lifetime value and scale campaigns. Westcon-Comstor reported a 132 per cent year-on-year increase in channel campaigns supported by Intelligent Demand in calendar year 2025, rising from 540 to more than 1,200, a figure the company presents as evidence of accelerating adoption. [2][1]
Despite appetite for data-led solutions, the research highlights capability gaps, particularly around AI-ready networking. Westcon-Comstor’s own study found 57 per cent of UK-based partners are not yet able to design and deliver AI-ready networking solutions, even as customer demand grows. The survey noted 43 per cent of UK respondents currently offer advanced, AI-integrated network services, well above the global average of 26 per cent, while 46 per cent believe their customers’ networks are prepared to support AI workloads, signalling a mismatch between perceived readiness and technical capability. [3]
The distributor’s commercial momentum and vendor partnerships add context to its positioning as a data and services enabler. Westcon-Comstor reported gross sales growth of 9.8 per cent to USD 2.78 billion for the first half of its 2026 financial year, with cybersecurity, software and recurring revenue models cited as primary drivers and gross margin expanding to 25.1 per cent. The company has also been active in strengthening cloud and secure-access capabilities for partners, including a European collaboration with AWS to accelerate partner cloud adoption and an agreement with Cato Networks to expand SASE distribution across multiple regions, moves that complement its analytics and go-to-market offers. [5][6][7]
Taken together, the data suggests a two-speed channel: an emerging cohort of partners rapidly monetising analytics and AI-enabled services, and a larger group still developing the technical depth to deliver AI-ready solutions. “Our research confirms that data-driven innovation is now embedded as a critical driver of AI growth and differentiation for channel partners,” said Atul Damani, chief data officer at Westcon-Comstor. “In the era of lifecycle selling, leveraging AI-powered data and analytics can enable partners to save time, uncover highly targeted sales opportunities and focus their energy on where they’ll get results. As channel evolution accelerates, the importance of data will only grow and at Westcon-Comstor we feel distribution has a vital role to play in ensuring partners are equipped with the insights and capabilities they need to thrive.” [1]
Rene Klein, executive vice president, Europe at Westcon-Comstor, stressed the UK’s leadership position: “UK channel partners are leading the charge on data-driven innovation, with nearly half prioritising analytics to fuel growth in 2026. It’s a clear sign that the UK market is setting the pace for smarter, insight-led strategies that unlock new opportunities and deliver real competitive advantage.” The combination of rising analytics adoption, distributor-backed programmes and expanding vendor tie-ups points to a channel increasingly organised around data and platform-enabled recurring revenue, yet one that must still accelerate skills and solution delivery to meet the technical demands of AI workloads. [1][6][7][3]
📌 Reference Map:
##Reference Map:
- [1] (Comms Business / Westcon-Comstor research) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7
- [4] (CRN Asia) – Paragraph 2
- [2] (Westcon-Comstor Intelligent Demand page) – Paragraph 3
- [3] (Westcon-Comstor announcement on AI-ready networking) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 7
- [5] (ChannelLife financial report) – Paragraph 5
- [6] (ChannelWeb on AWS collaboration) – Paragraph 5, Paragraph 7
- [7] (IT-Online on Cato Networks partnership) – Paragraph 5, Paragraph 7
Source: Noah Wire Services
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