An agreement should benefit both parties
Unsurprisingly, it is often with the buyer’s needs in focus that we discuss and operationalise electronic procurement solutions. But this alone is not enough of a starting point when it comes to getting that solution to function optimally.
Supplier involvement is absolutely crucial in developing the best possible procurement solution. The alternative is often an excessive workload on the buyer side in the system, to compensate for the suppliers’ lack of participation in the customer’s procurement portal – not because the suppliers don’t want to, but because they have not had enough of an invitation into the project and the technology.
When we manage to establish a new customer in our procurement technology, it is largely because the solutions we develop support what is most important to the suppliers: namely increased loyalty to agreements and the accompanying higher volumes. CEO Millum ASBjørn Anskau
Put simply: for the buyer, good product information is crucial in ensuring the right product is purchased with the right properties from the right supplier. This in turn creates value for a contract supplier. This is the foundation of a good e-commerce solution, whether you’re buying or selling.
It’s about making sure that suppliers have full ownership of their data in the various purchasing solutions – from establishment of the first product line to ongoing updates of prices, images, sustainability labelling and so on. That may sound like old news, but it remains a crucial factor when it comes to creating a successful procurement solution.
But it doesn’t stop there. Millum’s goal is to deliver services that entail operational benefits for the purchaser and supplier alike.
As a result Millum is now working more closely than ever, with suppliers large and small, to develop the best possible solution for the suppliers, and thereby also their customers.
We want to develop Millum Commerce into becoming the biggest meeting-place for the industry, not just the biggest business message broker. It will be the place where not only purchasers can get an overview of all suppliers in the industry, but also where suppliers can gain access to a lot of potential new customers. Our main principle will always be that the best procurement solution is the best sales channel for suppliers.
