E-Commerce Bidding Site

New Website Helps Turn Business Idea Into Profit

Business Need:
An entrepreneur working in the industrial supply business had an idea for a website that could change the way the industry inventoried & sold its products. In this industry, inventory such as janitorial, bathroom and warehouse supplies are often needed in large quantities, but unfortunately are not always needed too frequently. This presents a problem with obsolete inventory that is often an industrial supplier or distributor's greatest cost. His idea to help address this business problem was to bring the network of suppliers together online to bid on near-obsolete stock, because one supplier's extra inventory can often be another supplier's need.

Our Solution:
While he had the idea, he knew he needed expertise in getting this website off the ground, and turned to Kohnen Solutions, LLC for assistance. Kohnen Solutions, LLC took time to learn about the industry, its challenges, and the entrepreneur's idea, and built an "eBay-like" site, allowing suppliers to anonymously place "best offer" bids given a wholesale quantity and known inventory level. The site also allows all suppliers the ability to register for free, and upload their own bulk inventory spreadsheet to quickly post online in the site's large catalogue. The site does not require listing or store fees to the users, making it easy and appealing to use.

Successful Outcome:
Industrial suppliers can now eliminate obsolete inventory for cash, reduce warehousing costs, and do another supplier the favor of providing them with needed inventory for the best price. The website also provides suppliers with many administrative reports, the ability to manage site content and inventory, and provide email notifications when new stock becomes available to bid on. The entrepreneur was pleased to see his idea become a successful reality, and also earn him income by taking a 5% cut of any sale.