Suggested by 
Anton Bogdanov
about 1 year ago
Thesis: Procurement through collective bargaining is nothing new in the web3 economy. Group buying empowers millions of individuals to combat rising consumer product costs. The same can be said for SMBs and enterprise businesses. In today's competitive market, those buyers are at a disadvantage due to their lower purchasing power and limited options for negotiation. Commercial suppliers devote massive resources toward vetting and maintaining contracts for low volume individual buyers. We have seen some industry-specific coalitions (e.g. biotech) form to address this problem. However, membership to these groups can be costly to maintain and rarely offer a full breadth of options for both buyer and supplier. Options for qualified B2B sourcing have become closed off to a wide distribution of businesses.
Unmet Need: An open platform built for a broad range of commercial buyer and supplier groups, AKA #Groupon for Enterprise B2B. The platform allows buyers to leverage collective demand and negotiate discounts or rebates. Vetted buyers are able to form "timed" groups of 3-24 month intervals. Suppliers are granted access to varying categories of pre-approved buyers and pools of group orders. The platform may offer options for AI-assisted analytics, legal/compliance (there are firms that specialize in group buying contracts), seamless distribution (logistics of fulfilling the contract), etc.
Some of the obvious reasons for "why now?" include economic uncertainty and cost-sensitivity on part of SMB and enterprise; growth of e-commerce and rising awareness of grouped buying models; increases in compliance-driven business practices and supply chain vulnerabilities; a general shift towards sustainable, waste reduction, and ethical sourcing.
Existing Company
Are you interested in addressing this Unmet Need?
Are you interested in addressing this Unmet Need?
Alt. Assets 🏺 Fintech 💹 Research 🔠@ veryfair™
Companies Leverage Buying-Group Platforms to Gain Competitive Edge
-PYMNTS (2022)
AI Summary:
"Buying groups allow companies to negotiate better rebates and more competitive prices, similar to larger competitors. LBMX has enhanced its services for these groups by acquiring Buying Group Services, streamlining operations and improving rebate management."
ABM Trailblazer Demandbase Announces Buying Group AI, the Next Breakthrough in B2B
-PR Newswire (2023)
AI Summary:
"Demandbase's AI-powered buying groups address the critical need in B2B markets for precise targeting and engagement by automating the identification and assembly of key decision-makers in purchasing processes. This solution aims to optimize go-to-market strategies by eliminating the inefficiencies of manual guesswork and leveraging detailed data analysis to better align with the dynamics of group buying decisions."
B2B procurement embraces the marketplace model
-Raconteur (2023)
AI Summary:
"Digital B2B marketplaces are revolutionizing procurement by streamlining connections between buyers and sellers, enhancing efficiency and reducing reliance on single-source suppliers. These platforms support strategic procurement roles and provide robust backend infrastructure, as exemplified by Tradeshift, which integrates diverse marketplaces on a single platform for varied sector needs."
B2B Marketers Face A New Reality
-Forbes (2024)
Snippet(s):
"According to Forrester’s Marketing Survey, 2024, 75% of B2B marketers say that buyers are taking longer to commit to a purchase compared to a year ago, and that’s a big jump up from 67% a year earlier...As these new digital tactics become pervasive across demand, account-based, field, and customer marketing, it’s more likely than ever for buying groups to endure a sequence of disjointed vendor interactions."