Amazon is the go-to option if you want an item delivered with ease. You know the feeling, you’re in the middle of doing something else and that item you need springs to mind! So you get out your phone and after a few taps and swipes, it’s arriving tomorrow. Huge time savings and little effort on your part.
After a conversation with a client, we started thinking: does this ease carry over into the user experience for business accounts? Sure, the benefits of having speedy delivery, an account with algorithm recommendations and the ability to choose the best price point are all there.
But is it the best choice for businesses? Once we look past the benefits, Amazon’s business model has some holes that can cost the back office of a business some serious time, resources and therefore money.
The finance team’s nightmare
On the face of it, Amazon provides a platform where you can easily compare the price points and reviews of all suppliers. Naturally, we tend to go with the cheapest at the highest quality that can get here the quickest. How many of us tend to look at the actual supplier each item is coming from?
So, once you’ve placed the hefty order in one smooth transaction to Amazon and sent your invoice over to your finance team, it’ll come as a surprise that they’re not overly happy. Here’s why:
Every single item from a separate supplier in the order needs to go down as an individual transaction on your purchase ledger.
While you thought you were being super productive, ordering all your stock cupboard supplies in one order doesn’t correlate to the amount of time it takes the finance team to unpick each transaction and log them correctly.
How many boxes?!
With so many different suppliers collated into one order, you’d think that it would come all in one go. Not necessarily… It depends on what Amazon has in stock at each warehouse. With a vast amount of choice and a large distribution network, not all items are stored together for easy packaging.
As a result, items from different suppliers can come at different times, on different days and all in separate packaging! It’s alright if you’d like to be on hand to sign for orders all day and turn your office foyer into your own mini warehouse.
Algorithm v humans
It’s no secret that Amazon has one of the best algorithms for personalisation based on previous orders and what others similar to you have purchased. However, we all know that no two businesses are the same and business needs change. Algorithms are only as good as the data they capture.
What Amazon lacks is the human element - and ultimately the tech we have isn’t quite there yet. Having a dedicated account manager, who knows your business inside out and deals with solving complex procurement problems all day, can use that lateral thinking to save you time and money.
How Fenn’s can help your business
Buying from a business that has already consolidated the supplies for you can save you time and money - both on the face of it and also through the back office aspects of the time your team resource will need to sort the orders out. It’ll be a great relief to your finance team who now only need to deal with the one invoice!
Our stock management and distribution processes ensure that packages are collated too. We’ll drop off in a single package or if you’re multi-site we will ensure the right items are in the right package for each drop off.
Each business has a dedicated account manager and customer service representative that specialises in that business area. We’re proactive and offer solutions to help save you time, money and most importantly thinking space.
So, if you’d like to see how we can help your business, get in touch with us today: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
