Friday, January 29, 2021
THE SPECIALISTS DIDN'T RAISED 300 MILLION, BUT...
CTCO
It has not escaped anyone's notice that e-commerce has become a growth driver, or more precisely, a necessity for companies wishing to develop their business.
And in the world of 3.0, in this digital era in which everything is moving (too) fast, the traditional online sales model is already on the verge of disappearing in favor of marketplaces. There is no shortage of BtoC examples, such as Amazon, which has led the way, Airbnb, or more recently one of our French champions, Back Market.
It is also important to note that the offering has significantly improved, and platforms like Mirakl, which recently raised over $300 million in 2020, have significantly contributed to the development of these online marketplaces.
But now, B2B marketplaces are emerging. Professional buyers are ready to buy online.
We're experiencing a real technological breakthrough, across all industries. For example, we all remember the spectacular arrival of "web-to-print," 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 their local printer anymore...
The promotional product industry is all about e-commerce. We're seeing initiatives and even spectacular successes everywhere. Examples include Promotique and Flyer Alarm, long-standing players in the "web-to-print" space, which are now champions of online sales of personalized items.
There is no doubt that online sales in our industry are an imperative 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 efficient tools such as a model configurator, a payment module and credit insurance for payments on due dates.
So, we didn't raise 300 million... but the Specialists now have a "marketplace" www.lesspecialistes.fr, intended for resellers. It was designed and conceived for professionals in the trade and we are certain that it will meet the upcoming challenges, particularly in this very unique period...
Serge BIRECKI, president of the Specialists group