Build a Versatile,

Cost Effective
B2B Marketplace
Talk to an Expert

Aleran Software Inc.

7801 E Bush Lake Rd. Suite 220 Call us: 952-522-1677
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439 www.aleran.com
Reimagining The B2B Marketplace Now
From fast growth startups to enterprises seeking transformative change,
the move to a true B2B or multi-vendor experience can be challenging
to say the least. The best B2B marketplace solutions should be able to
replace — or augment — your current stack to whatever extent your
business requires. Modern B2B marketplace solutions can be applied
to any sized company, from multinational brands to SMEs looking for
affordable, growth promoting tools.

A true B2B product marketplace should have the ability to manage

catalogs, sellers, commissions, payment and tax capabilities, and order
management. While these core functions are essential, how fast you get
there and at what cost are equally as important. And how well will the
solution grow with you to innovate, iterate, and expand?

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

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 By 2023...
15% of medium- to high-GMV digital commerce organizations will
have deployed their own marketplaces, thereby creating an entirely
new digital ecosystem.
At least 70% of the enterprise marketplaces launched will serve B2B
transactions.
30% of enterprise marketplaces will transition to a majority third-
party seller model for better profitability.
Organizations that have operated enterprise marketplaces for
more than one year will see at least 10% increase in net digital
revenue.

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

In this eBook we’ll start by exploring how horizontal marketplace
limitations fail to meet seller and buyer needs. Then, we’ll take a look
at how companies of all sizes can quickly build innovative, customer-
centric B2B marketplaces for any given context. Lastly, we’ll unpack a
variety of marketplace benefits and the features that bring them to life.

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Horizontal Marketplace Limitations vs.
The Curated Customer Experience
Today, almost everyone has shopped with massive horizontal marketplaces, such as
Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba. A horizontal marketplace offers many products or services
to meet the needs of a wide range of buyers across many different sectors. Horizontal
marketplaces let buyers purchase everything under one roof.

No matter the context, the digital consumer has been spoiled. High quality customer
experience (CX) that began in the B2C world has now spilled over into B2B. We all want a
seamless, multichannel experience that enables easy, informed decision making — even
when making large purchases or reordering. And self service should function smoothly end-
to-end. The bar that measures B2B customer experience quality keeps rising higher and
higher.

While these horizontal marketplaces execute simple,

linear transactions quite well, they fall short at more
complex relationships, such as assembling different parts
of a system. Also, the singular methodology of massive
marketplaces limits the customer experience as there’s no Aleran Marketplaces are
one to call, text, or email if you want to customize orders. amazingly easy to get up and
Or perhaps the online user interface does not support running. The software significantly
this level of flexibility. All of this is especially relevant for improved our trade show sales
manufacturers when considering parts and product sales. outcomes.
­—Aleran Customer,
So despite the improved experience, there’s a growing Manufacturing Distributor
sense that horizontal marketplaces do not grasp the
nuances of the B2B buyer’s needs. The experience is cold
and distant.

By contrast, a curated customer experience arises from

a B2B marketplace that truly knows its customers well
and delivers a high end experience. Curated means the
marketplace language, focus, and feel speak directly to the
customer’s needs.

Alternatives to horizontal marketplaces exist that deliver

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

a curated experience. These powerful new options can
offer buyers and sellers the kind of flexibility, customization,
and support required for today’s more complex B2B
transactions. Let’s take a look at some examples that are
picking up steam.

B2B Marketplace To Fit Your Business

Several different B2B marketplace models exist that leverage the latest technology to
generate a better CX and improve business performance. These marketplaces include:

The Single- Multi-

Reverse
Pop-Up Vendor Vendor

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The Pop Up Marketplace
Organizations and businesses of all sizes often want a short to medium term marketplace
setup. These pop up marketplaces may be opened a few weeks in advance of an event and
be taken down shortly thereafter. This means they are
easy to install, easy to use, and cost effective.

Pop up marketplaces are ideal for situations such as:

• Conferences and conventions
• Trade shows and showrooms In the past we struggled to
• Sporting events capture all the opportunities at
our conventions. Adding Aleran
• Corporate sponsor events
Marketplaces changed all that. We
• Non-profit fundraisers can’t wait for the next show.
For these types of scenarios, innovative B2B marketplace — Aleran Customer, Manufacturing
tools can create an online affordable pop up marketplace Distributor
in minutes. Even PDF catalogs can be quickly uploaded
and transformed into clickable shopping experiences.
And everything fully integrates with the backend thanks to
headless architecture based on prebuilt APIs.

The modular pop up marketplace can easily be

expanded nearly indefinitely in scale, scope and customization. And the curated customer
experience approach provides much more control when compared to preconfigured
marketplaces that limit flexibility. Meanwhile, other complex, monolithic marketplace
solutions may come with a steep vsticker price.

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

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Single-Vendor Marketplace
In a single vendor marketplace, a single seller offers its products to multiple customers.
Single vendors might be niche brands that serve a very specific audience. In these cases,
strong seller-buyer relationships help drive sales.

For example, let’s say you’re a master chef looking for high end kitchen supplies. Rather
than going to a giant horizontal marketplace, you’re more likely to trust a supplier that
caters to your niche. You might even find educational videos on the site about how to best
set up your kitchen ventilation. Or maybe you can chat about different ordering options.
Compare the engagement experience of this single-vendor marketplace to being another
one among hundreds of 3rd party vendors on an Amazon-like platform.

In some cases, a single business may have a few very large and important clients. For these
key partners, tailored marketplaces can be built that focus on specific needs, price tiers,
services, custom packages, assemblies, kits, and more. This type of custom care further
strengthens business ties.

For single-vendor brands, modern B2B marketplace building tools satisfy the need to bring
a high quality, customized experience to buyers.

The Aleran Unified Platform can work off-the-shelf for

standalone use or easily integrate headless into your
existing ERP, CRM or OMS. Or extend your NetSuite,
Shopify, WooCommerce or other e-commerce platforms.

Reverse Marketplace

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

In a conventional marketplace, sellers post products they want to sell, and the seller sources
buyers. In a reverse marketplace, the buyers place ads for products they wish to buy, and
sellers then make offers to sell. For each transaction, there is only one buyer and many
potential sellers. Some refer to this type of marketplace as a reverse auction.

Reverse marketplaces give buyers leverage as they set the purchase conditions. From
there, sellers can compete to win buyer business. Reverse marketplaces place the burden
of work back on the seller, which some feel creates a better experience for consumers.
The steps a customer would take when using a reverse marketplace are:

1. Tell the 2. Receive and 3. Pick an offer

marketplace what review offers from and close
you are looking for. qualified vendors. the deal.

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 Multi-vendor Marketplace
A multi-vendor B2B marketplace is a large-scale ecommerce store where multiple vendors
sell their products and services to many buyers. Even though many vendors participate,
a multi-vendor marketplace can still cater to a specific niche or industry. Multi-vendor
marketplaces can also be built to meet the needs of different customers within a sector.

Imagine a single large medical supplier marketplace that includes several different medical
device companies. Under this umbrella, smaller sub-marketplaces could be carved out to
target the needs of cardiologists, gastroenterologists, neurosurgeons, and so on.

This approach enables sector specific marketplaces to include even narrower niche
marketplaces all on the same platform. And with modern B2B marketplace building tools, all
this happens without having to incur the cost of doing multiple implementations.

The business and strategic value of a multi-vendor platform can be seen from the point of
view of both the consumer and the platform provider:

FOR THE CONSUMER: FOR THE HOST PLATFORM:

• Easily compare and contrast • Additional revenue from ads and
products and services. preferential ranked treatment for
• Trust established by the host certain keywords.
platform generates buyer • Charge commissions on sales
confidence (“they speak my made on the platform.
language”). • Showcase one’s own products and
• Shipping, returns, and customer services alongside others.
service all happen in one • By optimizing customer service,
centralized location. establish trust to create repetitive
• One site or one app gives access buying patterns.
to a multitude of vendors.

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

In the past, this level of contextualization and customization
was too cumbersome or required expensive provider services
that only the largest brands could afford. But if we recall the
fast, affordable pop up example, we can see how advanced
Our largest client was thrilled marketplace building tools facilitate a rapid, flexible, and cost
with the new marketplace we effective methodology.
created just for them using
Aleran Marketplaces. It led to Undoubtedly, revenue generation is the ultimate motivator
even more business with the for any B2B company. Marketplaces give B2B companies
client. pathways to new revenue strategies to address challenges
and open growth opportunities. They enable manufacturers
— Aleran Customer,
Manufacturing Distributor and brands to rapidly expand product assortment and
test new products or strategies without the costs and risks
associated with owned inventory, logistics, fulfillment, and
customer care.

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B2B Marketplaces Benefit Buyers & Sellers
B2B marketplaces offer sellers a range of e-Commerce tools and features to help them
manage their accounts and grow their businesses. These include:

Improved business efficiencies

Sales and procurement teams can spend hours on repetitive tasks. Marketplaces
automate more common, time-wasting steps which enables associates to focus on
growth and sales. Automation can include commissions reconciliation, data entry,
sales call notes, contract signing, accounts payable and more. The resultant time and
resource savings boost your bottom line.

Price transparency
Marketplaces place price and product transparency front and center — an increasing
B2B customer demand in our digital-first reality. Today’s buyers spend more time
researching purchases, doing price comparisons, and reading reviews before placing
an order. You gain a huge advantage if your checkout process is fast and easy
compared to the complex sales structure of competitors.

Accelerated (and affordable) digital transformation

For businesses transitioning to B2B e-commerce or exploring new markets, a vertical
marketplace provides rapid access to sales tools and features with minimal financial
risk. Why sign up for a six-figure engagement? Instead, grow your marketplace
affordably without sacrificing the ability to iterate, integrate and innovate.

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

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The Aleran Marketplace Solution
Aleran’s marketplace software helps you quickly and easily launch your own customized
marketplaces with more products and services, reaching buyers and new customers
wherever they are shopping from. Aleran’s robust architecture is built to support your sales
strategy, no matter how complex, and is a great fit for B2B companies looking to transform
their sales strategy.

With Aleran you can create flexible, multi-vendor marketplaces for:

Manufacturers Procurement
Wholesalers Trade Shows
Resellers Conferences
Distributors And much more…

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

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Aleran Marketplace Builder Features

Site Builder Product Browsing Shopping Cart

From pop ups to highly Enable buyers and vendors This intelligent shopping cart
complex multi tier to filter products by category enables one-page checkout
marketplaces, you can or search result. They can with one or more brands per
create online marketplaces also search by category for order. You can also capture
in minutes. With easily agency-specific or brand- payment information and
customizable templates, specific pages. Leverage order history. Integrated and
your fonts, images and color built in automated upsell, secure merchant services
scheme easily come alive. suggestive selling, single are provided along with SSL
Link internally for promotions, page product view and security and PCI compliance.
specials or customer-specific stock availability.
messaging. Take advantage
of responsive design for
optimal PC, mobile and tablet
viewing.

Catalog Uploads Back Office

Rapidly transform PDF Integration
Catalogs, line cards, ssales Get real-time updates on
Cloud-based and and product sheets products and pricing, and
into interactive webshops integrate with RepDesk to
Access secure, high-
in minutes for clickable manage your back office in
performance cloud servers
shopping experiences across a single view. Hosting and
with 99.99% uptime 24/7,
any device with Catalog platform support included
from wherever you
Catalyst™ feature. with no-strings-attached
are working.

Aleran • Build a Versatile, Cost Effective B2B Marketplace

subscription.

SEO Site Management & Governance

Provides search engine Manage multiple agencies or brands with unique credentials
friendly URLs, and you can and logins, and oversee the brand and category creation
optimize SEO with built-in process. Customize landing pages with content management
guidelines. Include meta systems, and search by category for agency-specific or
information for products, brand-specific pages. Set permissions for promotions and
categories and content advertisements, and manage product lists, catalogs and
pages. images.

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Just Add Aleran
Aleran’s marketplace solution helps you quickly and easily launch
your own customized marketplaces to provide curated customer
experiences from anywhere, at any level of complexity. Aleran’s
marketplace solution is easy to implement, easy to use, flexible and
affordable. From startups to enterprise level brands, a marketplace
built with Aleran enables rapid growth and cost effective digital
transformation.

B2B is better
with Aleran
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