Today is a very proud and special day for me as I launch our new venture: Procurement Software.
The ProcurementSoftware.site website sets out to democratise access to information and resources on digital procurement as a free platform, focusing on helping procurement leaders, CFOs and boutique consultancies serving mid-market businesses.
What makes ProcurementSoftware.site different and unique?
I’ve listed 10 reasons why I believe that Procurement Software provides a solution that nobody else out there is offering….here goes:
1. Completely FREE to access for the buy side
We don’t charge any subscription to buyers. Neither to the individual, nor to the company.
Our directory is completely free to access all areas.
2. Focus on software that’s within reach of mid-market businesses
The existing content platforms and research houses who are specifically focused on the digital procurement ecosystem are very much targeting enterprise level procurement pros as their target audience.
While anyone in a large corporate will still get value from our solution, we have deliberately included some of the less well-known software that focuses on mid-market and SMEs as their target customer base.
All of the legacy suites and new best-of-breed solutions who target enterprise customers are also included in the directory, but our blogs and this podcast is more focused on the mid market.
3. More transparency
There are a number of “best of” lists out there. They have varying transparency when it comes to how these lists are put together. Some are more clear than others, but still, there is a lot that remains murky.
We have circumvented this potential issue by making the directory completely comprehensive and including anyone in there who we believe has a relevant solution and a saleable, useable product with existing customers.
4. We’re all busy: you don’t have time for complex research
Procurement pros – I know you’re busy. There are enough challenges in the world right now keeping you up at night. That’s why we feel that a lot of the detailed research and white papers are unnecessarily complex.
You’re smart people. If you’re given the basics to get on with, you can do your due diligence on the potential software suppliers you’re considering.
Do you need to pay several thousand dollars for a white paper you’ll probably never read in full? That money could be better spent hiring someone to help you source and implement the software from the shortlist of solutions we’ll provide you for free.
5. User Friendly
Our content and our software directory is easy to use, easy to find and intuitive.
I talk about UX being an under-appreciated feature for procurement technology to help with adoption and uptake.
The exact same thing applies here. We will definitely also listen closely to user feedback and improve our UX as we go!
6. No Corporate Subscriptions
So, if your organisation doesn’t have a corporate subscription to one of the big research houses, then how do you access market knowledge?
As an individual, you can’t take out a subscription. And even if you could, it would be prohibitively expensive. That’s why we’re never going to offer this as a business model.
Even if we sell content in the form of digital downloads on the site in future, my goal is to ensure we offer this at an affordable price that any procurement pro could purchase, even for those of you who are unable to claim it back as a company expense.
7. No Jargon!
I hate complexity for the sake of it. White papers and solutions maps can be unnecessarily confusing. Lots of competitor websites are full of acronyms and procurement-speak.
That’s why we want to give you a simple solution which just requires a few mouse clicks. We’ve also spelt out in full all of the acronyms that are in our software finder, so you’re not scratching your head if you’re not an expert in this space.
8. No “pay-to-play” business model
Every software solution that is listed in our directory has a basic profile for free. Nobody has paid us to be included on the platform, full stop.
Do we make money through sponsorship? Of course, but it’s not a prerequisite to be present on the website.
9. Clear monetisation and revenue model
We are very transparent with how we make money. Our revenue will come from sponsored content:
- Sponsored podcasts
- Sponsored blog posts
- Live software demos on LinkedIn and YouTube
- A few strategically placed banner ads (that won’t hurt the user experience)
- Referral partnerships with our favourite solutions providers
10. We only feature procuretech
The generic software review and search websites are not solely focused on procurement technology. We are!
There is always going to be a fine line between procuretech and fintech, legaltech and supply chain tech in certain aspects. Inevitably, there will be some solutions included that are not pure play procuretech.
But at the same time, I believe all solutions we’ve included have a reference point or value proposition to procurement pros in some way.
Interested to sponsor the website?
Have a software solution that you’d like us to include in the directory?
Please get in touch – I’d love to hear from you!
