Yes, I am somewhat opinionated. And yes, I have strong opinions. But I never want to be pedantic. And yet, I need to address you, the reader, sternly for once. What I want to say is: if you as a manufacturer don't take steps toward a b2b marketplace now, chances are your company won't exist in a few years. It sounds harsh, I know. And then also from the mouth of someone who doesn't make machines or tools himself. I get it. But the reality is that those who don't keep up with the times will become history.
A manufacturer is smart enough to know for himself that marketplaces can be sales channels for his product. And yet there seem to be obstacles. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is your existing distribution network. That has worked fine for years and the structure is completely ingrained. It revolves around business relationships that go back decades. Those are people you can trust.
Also, as an entrepreneur, you often have to deal with exclusivity. As a large and strong brand, you often have only one or two exclusive distributors and then also per country or even per region. A third objection is that the processes are not prepared for it. There is no network yet where you can serve the customer directly (direct-to-consumer). No API links have been built for that yet. Or people hired for that.
Problem four? Your product needs “advice. And your current distributor has been helping you with that for years. Finally, even if you want to move into the digital b2b marketplaces, you are stuck with ongoing contracts with your “old” network. As a producer, you may not even be allowed to sell any other way.
They are legitimate fears. But they are not difficult hurdles to overcome. Indeed, these hurdles may apply to manufacturers, but not to buyers. You used to have a similar sentiment when it came to consumer electronics. Then you would get advice in the store about a new HDTV. Who does that today? Who feels like talking to an 18-year-old salesman in MediaMarkt on a Saturday afternoon about what the best picture tube is?
It is not the seller who changes the model, it is the buyer. The young generation coming up wants to buy differently. They don't care that something has been done that way for eighty years. A growing group of users does not see the added value of the traditional distribution landscape. The current generation doesn't want to call a supplier. Today's generation doesn't want to visit you. And they certainly don't want you to come by.
I know people don't like change. The good old days are nice, too. But you have to move with the times. Several studies show that b2b is up to ten years behind the consumer market when it comes to digitization of sales channels. And frankly, ten years ago consumers were moving massively to online.
And all those obstacles out there? There are solutions to those. From new contracts to smart AI. Our partner Mitutoyo, for example. They are world leaders in industrial measuring systems and really know the market. The company is a hundred years old. Yet together we looked at new ways to sell. For example, they deployed our AI consultant. The result? The majority of customers' questions can be answered perfectly by AI. If a hundred-year-old can be flexible, so can younger companies.
Finding new ways can't or shouldn't? There will be hundreds of reasons not to join a B2B marketplace. But the opportunities and rewards far outweigh the challenges.
Am I being too strict? Not at all. With a vision, a new strategy and the will to change, anything is possible. So what do you do? Either you dig in your heels until you've completely sunk in. Isn't a good idea. Or you leap forward with me. Both producer and distributor can use the marketplace. And again, you can make agreements between them. But doing nothing is not an option; that way you miss where your customer is going.