For us every-day users of the internet buying products online has become the way to go when it comes to consumer goods such as books, DVDs, office supplies or electronic gizmos, but also fixed price services such as a discount plane ticket or your annual horoscope. It’s just so convenient, isn’t it? Gone are the days of suspicion when you were asking yourself if the money transfer will work, if you will receive the shipment of the merchandise and when you hoped to avoid that your credit card number will be abused …
Today we simply enjoy the efficiency and comfort from buying with the click of the mouse. Thank you Amazon, Staples, Fnac, Expedia – to only mention a few – for your advancements in user ergonomics, search engines and performance (driven by the merciless selection process of demanding users). Benefits from online markets respond to the expectations of both the individual shopper and businesses at various sizes: we all want convenience, efficiency, speed and best prices.
Auctions are another big success which went online. Founded in 1995, Ebay as the premier public trading site for products has seen a staggering growth with a $60 billion transaction volume and 86 million active members in 2008. Ebay and look alike’s address the B2C and C2C markets. Within a core service of “search and find” the hits are presented to let the consumer comfortably compare objects and prices. The decision process is supported by additional services such as peer rating, referencing related products and special package offers. These online marketplaces are sophisticated Sell environments which generate a Buy experience to address mind and emotion.
It seems that service auctioning sites are up to repeat the success story. It worked for me! Last year when I did not less than four household moves (see the Guinness Book of Records for details), my experience from using an online platform was very positive: I was able to find the best movers at prices slashed by 60% over standard and at top quality. I became a happy user of MyHammer.
Beyond private shopping, online business exchanges are emerging to support more complex B2B transactions. There are the more generic trading places, such as Alibaba.com, which support the buying/selling of raw materials, commodities, industrial parts, services on a global level. Also there exist online markets which are focused geographically and specifically adapted to serve the needs of a certain user group. TechPilot.net is one example, where purchasers are looking for machined parts to be made according to their design, and suppliers can place their quotation to it, but also offer their capability and capacity versus the market demands. Sounds like a good idea? Yes, over 100,000 portal visits per month speak for themselves.
How does this reflect to shopping for a PLM Solution?
First I think we agree that purchasing a PLM system is not just ordering a product or service.
Assuming that a PLM Solution is unique for each customer situation, the process for designing the solution needs to start with a thorough analysis of the customer’s specific environment and needs. This is experts’ work [full stop]. By taking a consultative approach, a PLM professional, experienced in the customer’s industry, needs to comb through the customer’s product process by talking to stakeholders, with the aim to develop a blue print of the way the customer successfully works to meet his business objectives. Based on this blue print, a PLM expert can design the solution and select the components needed to do the job …
As you know, Dassault Systèmes’ value added channel partners, industry solution partners, in concert with IBM and DS provide those experts needed to analyze, select, plan and deploy a PLM system – independent of size and scope – but necessarily matching the individual customers’ needs. They will choose products and solution from the DS portfolio, but will also want to leverage the vast solutions from DS partners. These software, technology and service offerings are designed to extend the DS portfolio to solve though industry process challenges.
How can PLM solution integrators best include DS Partners’ offerings?
What started as an online showroom of partners’ products at DS France in 2005 has now become a highly efficient business platform where customers can find a partner solution, request a quote and initiate sales with a preferred sales partner. PLM MarketPlace provides the visitor with all relevant information regarding the referenced partner products. Connected resellers access a secured area which additionally contains all relevant sales information, and benefit from a fast and simple process to call in the respective solution partner on a deal. In short: PLM MarketPlace connects partners to deliver to customers augmented PLM value.
PLM MarketPlace’s core team: Jacques Bidault, Anthony Rosendo and Alexandre De Lima invite you to test ride the platform, and to experience how easy it becomes to surf the catalog of our partners’ solutions.
from left to right: Alexandre, Jacques, Anthony
Go ahead and check it out for yourself. Let us know what you think! Finalizing transactions on www.plmmarketplace.com is reserved to connected resellers, but everyone is welcome to request a quote.
Happy shopping!
Best,
Michael
P.S.: … and don’t get carried away (like the guy in the video … )
