Comparing Buying Direct versus Purchasing through Amazon Business

A recent discussion with the buyer of a major higher learning institution offered some interesting insight about the value of buying direct from vendors versus shopping on a third-party marketplace like Amazon Business. A key takeaway is that you don’t always judge a book by its cover. For the past 25-plus years, Amazon has amassed a retail empire largely built on emotional appeal and trusted consumer perception. In Amazon’s stable is Amazon Business, a B2B marketplace that provides businesses with a purchasing solution for a wide range of products. The solution caters to organizations of all sizes to help consolidate procurement, minimize spend and gain greater insight into purchasing. Among its clients are a few Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, universities and higher learning institutions and city governments. Just like the rest of its product lines, Amazon Business hangs its fedora on stellar brand perception. Buyers can compare products and business-only prices from multiple sellers and get bulk, quantity, and other discounts. So, whether you’re in property management or floral arrangements, Amazon is calling. Amplifying its pitch is lightning fast shipping. But, does a supplier that has just about everything fulfill the complete purchasing needs of a company in a specialized industry, like property management? Is it nimble enough to always deliver the products at the right price and at the right service level with low risk? Marketers are always the first to say you can’t be everything to everyone. Certainly, it doesn’t mean you can’t try. But for a focused industry like property management, a one-size-fits-all procurement approach probably isn’t sound spend management. Property managers rely on products specific to the day-to-day operation of apartments and other residential properties, which often require tailored pricing and service agreements.  Comparing pricing, service My colleague’s employer h...