E-commerce with GoBuyChem

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DIGITISATION • THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO GET A SLICE OF THE BOOM IN ONLINE SALES OF CHEMICALS, AS SHOWN BY THE GOBUYCHEM AND IMPRATECH PLATFORMS

BUYING AND SELLING chemicals is now a 21st century occupation and moving increasingly online. What does that mean for parties in these transactions? GoBuyChem is the equivalent of websites such as Expedia, Trivago or Moneysupermarket, but specifically for chemicals. The market comes to the seller, not the other way around. Impratech, on the other hand, is a digital sales solution that provides the tools for businesses to sell online directly to customers through a bespoke and customisable secure online platform.

Dr Bharat Bhardwaj, CEO of GoBuyChem and Impratech, describes what he is seeking to change: “Traditionally, when selling chemicals, it used to be the case of phoning every single business, perhaps getting in the car and arranging face-to-face meetings or – in the last fifteen years – emailing. The online way of selling chemicals is only just starting.” This process will definitely accelerate with the young generation of digital natives now entering business life.

Businesses using GoBuyChem to source chemicals can benefit from the scalability of the platform, which can cater to individual shipments of specialist chemicals or large amounts of commodities on a regular basis, meaning all businesses are able to benefit from the platform regardless of their size.

Furthermore, as a clearing house that handles all transactions between its users, GoBuyChem makes it easier to cope with different payment terms. “The seller need not set themselves up with every customer and need not do credit insurance as the contracting partner is GoBuyChem. The buyer can have extended payment terms, if needed, without the supplier giving them, as GoBuyChem is who the contract is with,” says Bhardwaj.

The solutions provided go even further for those seeking the best financial investments. Hidden costs or costs that are often overlooked are clear and included by GoBuyChem. “All the suppliers of the chemicals have their prices already exwarehouse and what our algorithm does is add freight rate, insurance and finance to get that cargo to its destination from where it came from, immediately,” says Bhardwaj.

For example, if there are two suppliers offering exactly the same product at the same price, but from two different cities, the freight costs (and more) will be different, meaning the lowest advertised price isn’t always the lowest delivered cost.

ONE FOR ALL “Wouldn’t it be good if each company had the ability to sell through their own webshop?” says Bhardwaj. “With Impratech, a business would have their own branded platform to sell their products to their customers, thereby potentially internalising your customers. Anything done to make a customer’s life easier is considered a winner.”

Many will be aware that investing time, money and effort into a project to develop suitable online sales platforms is costly on all fronts, particularly for smaller parties. Impratech provides a customisable solution that doesn’t require heavy investment. “The big companies are creating their own platforms, but what do you do about the thousands of small- to medium-sized companies out there – with sales potential ranging to a billion dollars – who don’t have the resources to create their own platform? Money isn’t always the only factor to consider. It’s also about the management time to develop such a platform,” explains Bhardwaj.

GoBuyChem and Impratech are both being demonstrated at the EPCA Annual Meeting at a variety of different times. At the moment, both brands are focusing on the European markets and, once a presence has been successfully established, further expansion will follow. HCB www.gobuychem.com www.impratech.com