AnyFlexo is a B2B e-marketplace based in Estonia. The marketplace streamlines procurement for buyers in an B2B eCommerce niche, that has been excessively reliant on offline channels traditionally. Read our interview with Mitesh Vadoliya, Ecommerce Specialist of Anyflexo, and know how they leveraged their industry experience to explore online sales opportunities. Learn about their challenges and how they navigated them.
1. What was the inspiration behind choosing an e-commerce business? How did you come up with this idea?
The founders of Anyflexo have been in the flexo printing business for a couple of decades now. Over a period of time, they realized that the industry is very traditional and digitalization is slow – that’s how they came up with an idea of an e-marketplace for the industry. This would help in increasing transparency, smoother exchange of information and faster growth in business for small and medium-sized players in the industry.
2. How did you identify your target market?
The Founders of the marketplace have decades of experience and expertise of the industry. They have in-depth knowledge of the target market.
3. How did you finalize on the ideal eCommerce solution? Did you require any additional integrations or customisations?
We had two/three main criteria to fulfil before making a decision. That’s how we selected Yo!Kart ― It checked most of the important boxes on our checklist. It pretty much had the standard features a marketplace should have, however, some customisation was needed to match our industry and organisational requirements. For instance, the platform was customized to change the font, aligning it to our branding requirements.
4. How did you define your Unique Selling Proposition for the users, to set yourself apart from established platforms in your niche?
Our platform is the first of its kind in the industry, and this first-mover advantage is its most significant USP.
5. What hurdles did you face initially? Can you share how did you overcome these hurdles?
Solving the chicken and egg dilemma in the marketplace was our major challenge. This means balancing the seller-to-customer ratio, and whom to approach first at the start. To solve this we started approaching both together but quickly realised it is fairly easy to convince the seller as sales via the e-marketplace added an extra sales channel to their business. Another reason to prioritize sellers was that they are the main source of our earnings, so that is why we first focused a little bit more on sellers than buyers. Once we had a specific number of sellers we then focused heavily on sales to customers, thus solving the chicken and egg dilemma.
6. Can you share the experience of witnessing the first sale on the platform?
Yes. It was very satisfying! – After the sale was completed we requested feedback on the customer experience and it was very positive.
7. What is your vision for the business going forward – let’s say 5 years down the line?
To be able to operate and serve customers on a global level.
8. What advice would you give to aspiring eCommerce entrepreneurs like yourself? Any tips/success mantra that you would like to share?
At the start be open to pivoting on your predetermined business strategies, as this might open unseen target markets and opportunities.
