The Specialists did not raise 300 million, but…
2021/01/29
It has not escaped anyone’s notice that e-commerce has become a growth relay or more exactly a necessity for companies wishing to develop their business.
And in the world of 3.0, in this digital era in which everything is going (too) fast, the traditional model of online sales is already on the verge of disappearing in favor of the market place. There is no shortage of examples in BtoC, such as Amazon, which led the way, Airbnb or more recently one of our French champions, Back Market.
It is also important to note that supply has improved significantly and platforms such as Mirakl, which recently raised more than $300 million in 2020, have contributed significantly to the development of these online marketplaces.
But now BtoB marketplaces are emerging. Professional buyers are ready to buy online.
We are experiencing a real technological breakthrough in all industries. For example, we all have in mind the spectacular arrival of “webtoprint”, which has changed our purchasing habits for printed materials. Who today doesn’t buy their business cards or flyers online? I don’t think anyone has the phone number of the local printer anymore…
The time has come for online commerce in the promotional object industry. We see spectacular initiatives and even successes everywhere. These include Promotique or Flyer Alarm, historical actors of “webtoprint”, who are now the champions of the online sale of personalized objects.
There is no doubt that online sales in our industry is a pressing necessity for manufacturers and a growing demand among buyers who expect a consistent and quality offer.
At Les Spécialistes, it therefore seemed obvious to us to offer our customers a high-performance online sales platform, bringing together all our members, with modern and high-performance tools such as a model configurator, a payment and credit insurance module for payments on due dates.
So, we didn’t raise 300 million… but the Specialists now have a “market place” www.lesspecialistes.fr, intended for resellers. It has been designed and conceived for professionals in the trade, and we are certain that it will meet the next challenges, particularly in this very unique period…
Serge BIRECKI, president of the group Les Spécialistes