South African launch of ‘global’ industrial trading portal
Thématique :
sud afrique
By: Guy Copans, 07/11/2008
A global commercial and industrial trading website that will help revolutionise business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce has been launched in South Africa.
Founder and CEO of Plusto Adriaan Gie says that the company is the world’s first B2B platform that facilitates actual transaction processes globally, providing the necessary information for users to make informed business decisions about trading online both locally and internationally.
The website lists products and services globally that indicate when stock is incoming or outgoing, how much it costs, and provides descriptive aspects of the stock, such as colour, size, shape, speed or strength.
Gie says that Plusto’s target markets include small and medium- sized businesses, commodity traders and big companies. He says that it is focused on providing network systems that facilitate the efficient distribution of stock between businesses and between governments.
“Global trading opportunities open doors for entrepreneurs to source products and sell them to an international market, or source products online for their domestic markets,” he says.
Gie highlights the potential importance of this product. “Proven systems have been developed to ensure that online trading can be as secure, if not even more secure than traditional trading through agents and brokers,” he states.
Gie maintains that within ecommerce, which consists of B2B, business-to consumer (B2C) and consumer-to-business (C2B), B2B holds the greatest potential. Indicative of this, he says, is that, while global B2C ecommerce is expected to grow from $164-billion, in 2006, to $320-billion by 2010, B2B is forecast to grow from $1,2-trillion to $16-trillion during the same period.
Three different forms of B2B exchanges exist, including buyer- controlled exchanges, which are a consortium of buyers who aggregate their purchases; seller-controlled exchanges, in which sellers cater to fragmented markets such as chemicals and auto components and unite to create a common trading place for the buyers; and third-party exchanges that are neither buyers nor sellers, but thrive purely on the fees generated by matching buyers and sellers. Plusto combines all three models to provide everything users need to transact then and there.
Plusto forms partnerships with the leaders in industries and within countries around the world. These partners, notes Gie, provide it with industry-specific information, allowing it to communicate effectively with all Plusto’s users, informing them of products and services relevant to their businesses.
He states that Plusto will make it easier for small, medium-sized, and large businesses to make informed decisions about importing supplies from abroad and expose their prod- ucts to a worldwide market.
Gie notes that Plusto does not intend to be a substitute or adaptation of existing platforms, such as eBay or Alibaba. Rather, he says, it pioneers the online networks between company types, the products they use and the products they supply.
“We create unique relationship links between company types and products or services with the assistance of industry partners and consultants. As Plusto grows and a community of users develops, the community will assist us in refining these relationships, ensuring that every company that transacts on Plusto receives the exact information that it requires,” he says.
Gie says that the global credit crunch and downturn in the worldwide economy have “confirmed” that now is the right time for an online marketplace. He adds that companies will need to use all tools at their disposal to ensure that surplus stock is moved, and that new markets are opened, not only to increase sales, but also to reduce the costs of procurement.
Creating a reliable online marketplace where buyers and sellers can transact in confidence will be a challenge for the company, Gie admits. However, he notes that it has created numerous systems, such as validation processes, a feedback system, dispute resolution processes and a sampling system to help generate trust in its online marketplace.
Another potential challenge, he notes, is developing adequate administrative processes and procedures as Plusto grows.
“We are a young company with global potential, and will possibly need to grow at an extraordinary rate as the online market develops,” he says.
Gie says that Plusto includes all support services, value-added services and the efficient transfer of appropriate information to users regarding product availability and inventory requirements.
He maintains that the site will create opportunities for companies to manage their inventories more effectively, reduce costs, open new markets and find new suppliers, providing a system that transfers information between com- panies regarding inventory require- ments and product availability.
Gie has provided the primary funding for the business to date. He says that his previous business experience helped him to expose some of the inefficiencies of traditional trading, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Once the model and vision were established, he says, they were transformed into an information technology system.
A global commercial and industrial trading website that will help revolutionise business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce has been launched in South Africa.
Founder and CEO of Plusto Adriaan Gie says that the company is the world’s first B2B platform that facilitates actual transaction processes globally, providing the necessary information for users to make informed business decisions about trading online both locally and internationally.
The website lists products and services globally that indicate when stock is incoming or outgoing, how much it costs, and provides descriptive aspects of the stock, such as colour, size, shape, speed or strength.
Gie says that Plusto’s target markets include small and medium- sized businesses, commodity traders and big companies. He says that it is focused on providing network systems that facilitate the efficient distribution of stock between businesses and between governments.
“Global trading opportunities open doors for entrepreneurs to source products and sell them to an international market, or source products online for their domestic markets,” he says.
Gie highlights the potential importance of this product. “Proven systems have been developed to ensure that online trading can be as secure, if not even more secure than traditional trading through agents and brokers,” he states.
Gie maintains that within ecommerce, which consists of B2B, business-to consumer (B2C) and consumer-to-business (C2B), B2B holds the greatest potential. Indicative of this, he says, is that, while global B2C ecommerce is expected to grow from $164-billion, in 2006, to $320-billion by 2010, B2B is forecast to grow from $1,2-trillion to $16-trillion during the same period.
Three different forms of B2B exchanges exist, including buyer- controlled exchanges, which are a consortium of buyers who aggregate their purchases; seller-controlled exchanges, in which sellers cater to fragmented markets such as chemicals and auto components and unite to create a common trading place for the buyers; and third-party exchanges that are neither buyers nor sellers, but thrive purely on the fees generated by matching buyers and sellers. Plusto combines all three models to provide everything users need to transact then and there.
Plusto forms partnerships with the leaders in industries and within countries around the world. These partners, notes Gie, provide it with industry-specific information, allowing it to communicate effectively with all Plusto’s users, informing them of products and services relevant to their businesses.
He states that Plusto will make it easier for small, medium-sized, and large businesses to make informed decisions about importing supplies from abroad and expose their prod- ucts to a worldwide market.
Gie notes that Plusto does not intend to be a substitute or adaptation of existing platforms, such as eBay or Alibaba. Rather, he says, it pioneers the online networks between company types, the products they use and the products they supply.
“We create unique relationship links between company types and products or services with the assistance of industry partners and consultants. As Plusto grows and a community of users develops, the community will assist us in refining these relationships, ensuring that every company that transacts on Plusto receives the exact information that it requires,” he says.
Gie says that the global credit crunch and downturn in the worldwide economy have “confirmed” that now is the right time for an online marketplace. He adds that companies will need to use all tools at their disposal to ensure that surplus stock is moved, and that new markets are opened, not only to increase sales, but also to reduce the costs of procurement.
Creating a reliable online marketplace where buyers and sellers can transact in confidence will be a challenge for the company, Gie admits. However, he notes that it has created numerous systems, such as validation processes, a feedback system, dispute resolution processes and a sampling system to help generate trust in its online marketplace.
Another potential challenge, he notes, is developing adequate administrative processes and procedures as Plusto grows.
“We are a young company with global potential, and will possibly need to grow at an extraordinary rate as the online market develops,” he says.
Gie says that Plusto includes all support services, value-added services and the efficient transfer of appropriate information to users regarding product availability and inventory requirements.
He maintains that the site will create opportunities for companies to manage their inventories more effectively, reduce costs, open new markets and find new suppliers, providing a system that transfers information between com- panies regarding inventory require- ments and product availability.
Gie has provided the primary funding for the business to date. He says that his previous business experience helped him to expose some of the inefficiencies of traditional trading, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Once the model and vision were established, he says, they were transformed into an information technology system.
