Review of B2B Marketplaces for B2B Suppliers and Distributors: Their Features and Business Model
Modern B2B consumers expect to get digitally-enhanced services and experiences. Multi-channel strategy, B2C shopping experience, assortment increase and automation of sales process - this is what B2B suppliers and distributors require from B2B e-commerce platforms.
Let's review some of the best B2B online marketplaces for suppliers and distributors, their main features, business model, and the strategies they use to satisfy their customers' needs.
B2B marketplaces for suppliers and distributors
FoodByUs
First, FoodByUs was launched as a B2C marketplace that offered freshly-baked food from home-based cooks in your local area. However, the founders started to receive a number of calls from the cafes that wanted to delight their customers with exceptional food choice. As the result, they have switched their business model to B2B.
FoodByUs is a B2B marketplace that connects buyers (cafes, restaurants, food service businesses) with local foodservice B2B suppliers. They have their own network of vetted wholesale food suppliers and cover a full spectrum of products your foodservice may need. With FoodByUs, Australian buyers get a full support in sales, logistics, and online order management.
Features
For B2B suppliers
- Online sales
The team promotes your products in cafes, restaurants, hotels, as well as online on their B2B marketplace.
- Fast delivery
B2B suppliers can easily deliver their products to customers with the help of FoodByUS drivers. The software creates the best delivery roots and lets you GPS-track your products.
- Online dashboard
Suppliers can create their own prices, production schedule and manage food business via their own dashboards.
For buyers
- Get access to the network of B2B suppliers and ability to add their own suppliers
- Compare prices and delivery options
- Set favorite and standing orders
- Fast registration and flexible payment options (credit or debit cards)
- Customized solutions
- Ability to find new suppliers on the marketplace
Business model
FoodByUs neither charges buyers nor marks up supplier prices. They take a small fee from the supplier for anything sold through the platform.
Retrolux
Retrolux is a B2B lightning marketplace and software that connects manufacturers with buyers. It provides energy efficiency software for electrical distributors, utilities, and contractors. Manufacturers and B2B suppliers can connect with their buyers, load their products and pricing info, create teams and accelerate the sales process.
Their B2B sales platform includes audits, proposals, product selection, analytics, financing and commissioning and reduces the paperwork of lighting companies.
Features
- Sales forecasting and market analytics
Manufacturers get access to their buyer’s sales pipeline, so they can fully control the buying process, find the gaps in the sales funnel and improve their relationships with clients.
- Reduce errors and omissions, control prices
Manufacturers can join the Project team and review product specifications for possible errors before the purchase.
- Financial metrics
Lightning providers can connect with property managers, communicate with them, get proposal options, financial metrics, and pay online.
- Project management
B2B suppliers and manufacturers are provided with the dashboards, where they can track their costs, reporting, project status, team members, etc.
Business model
Retrolux takes a 7% transaction fee on all products sold by vendors on the platform. They give all the technology tools and workflow platform to the buyers for free with premium third-party apps available for 25% fee.
B2B Wave
B2B Wave is a B2B e-commerce platform for distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers. It enables wholesale and manufacturing businesses to quickly create their own e-commerce platforms to manage orders online and improve their sales.
Features
- B2B customer portal
B2B customer portal enables users to create personalized product offers per customer, upload your branded product catalog, view product pages, communicate with customers, and accept online payments.
- Sales representative portal
With sales representative portal, managers can create customer accounts, add and manage orders, generate reports, and take orders on the go.
- Price list configuration
Manufacturers and B2B suppliers can set multiple price tiers for their customer segments manage multiple Sales Tax / GST/ VAT rules, set discounts per customer, specific categories or orders.
- Integrations and tools
B2B wave is integrated with Google Analytics, accounting systems, CRMs, and inventory management tools. Users can also export and import data in different formats, download catalogs, export order details to Xero or Quickbooks online.
- Reporting and analytics
With the help of the reporting feature, distributors can track their monthly sales, review the performance of their sales representatives, review product sales, and generate custom reports.
Business model
Billing for monthly or annual packages.
Orderchamp
Orderchamp is a B2B platform that connects commercial buyers to the suppliers. They offer a wide selection of food & beverage products, home & living, beauty & health, jewelry and others.
Features
For B2B suppliers
- Set your online storefront effortlessly
Suppliers can send a linesheet and photos of their products to the onboarding team at Orderchamp and they’ll create a personalized online storefront in no time.
- Chat with customers and prospects
Suppliers have an opportunity to better connect with their customers and prospects through a chat feature on the wholesale platform. It helps to build new long-lasting relationships based on trust.
- Integrate the B2B marketplace software with your ERP-system
With the help of an open API, suppliers can optimize their workflows and make their ordering and invoicing process as seamless as possible.
For buyers
- Free shipping
- Flexible payment terms up to 60 days
- Get an extensive selection of products
- Connect with over 3,000 brands
Business Model
B2B suppliers and distributors don’t need to spend any upfront costs. The commission of 20% will be charged on any new retailer acquired through Orderchamp B2B wholesale marketplace. For re-orders, suppliers only need to pay 12% of commission. Inviting their own retailers to the ecommerce platform is free and no commission will be charged on their orders.
Now you've got some inspiration on what benefits modern B2B marketplace platforms offer for suppliers and distributors. Check out also more features of B2B marketplaces and their business model.
Have any questions about starting this kind of business? Don't hesitate to get in touch with our team!
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