Lockdowns, social-distancing rules and border closures have impacted the way every Australian and consumer and business operate - but it hasn’t dulled demand for goods and services.
In the middle of the pandemic, Australia’s first B2B online marketplace, TradeSquare launched with the aim of taking away the pain points during product sourcing in an era when visiting trade fairs, receiving sales calls and travelling interstate or offshore to source goods became all but impossible.
Now, any business can trade products on the secure TradeSquare platform at true wholesale prices, dealing with local suppliers who can be easily contacted should something go wrong and with the confidence that vendors have been vetted before they can list goods on the platform.
TradeSquare founder Einat Sukenik’s vision was to create a marketplace exclusively for businesses to search for and source products, whether they be retailers, education or child-care providers, healthcare companies, charities, hospitality venues or any other type of registered company.
With a core differentiation being TradeSquare is an Australian business, founded by Australians and serving only Australians, early adopters included many companies keen to buy local and support their peers during a particularly challenging era.
“Our team understands that it’s an uncertain time right now, and being local and supporting Australian businesses is crucial,” explains Sukenik. “The power of our community is our mission - the platform is just an enabler.”
Prior to launch, says Sukenik, research showed that buyers wanted more product inspiration and options in sourcing direct and rapid order fulfilment. They also found it cumbersome submitting multiple credit applications with different suppliers and were tired of trying to predict taxes and fees on imported goods.
Meanwhile, wholesalers who may have avoided doing business with smaller customers due to time-consuming paperwork, credit checks and on-boarding processes can leave that process to TradeSquare. They can reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers across the country who they would not otherwise have been able to discover or sell to.
“By using our digital trading platform, suppliers can accept orders from small businesses that have been vetted by TradeSquare, knowing the transaction is guaranteed by us and they do not have to worry about setting up individual customer accounts and tracking payments," says Sukenik.
Within weeks of its soft launch, the marketplace had grown to host more than 100,000 products from several hundred suppliers and brands. Businesses with an ABN can log into the site after a quick sign-up process to ensure they are legitimate and can then access full item details, pricing options, and minimum order volumes (if any). The company has teamed up with Zip Biz to offer 60-days free credit via a Buy Now, Pay Later service to businesses who want to ease their cashflow pressure.
Prospective buyers and sellers can check out TradeSquare here. Registration takes just a couple of minutes and allows buyers to access pricing information about the products, which are not disclosed to casual visitors or consumers.
Two months after the site’s official launch, the most popular categories so far are Home and Garden, Gifts, Christmas, and Furniture and Homewares.