RAPIDDBUYR STARTS NEW BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS DAILY DEALS BUSINESS, IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER

Move over massages, martinis, and manicures. RapidBuyr wants to sell you printers, pens, and PowerPoint. (Yes, we adore alliteration!)

The daily deals moshpit has mostly been a consumer affair so far. But it was probably only a matter of time before it leapt over to the business world. And while business customers (like those guys pictured up top--they look ready to spend!) probably won't be looking for massages, martinis, and manicures--at least not without some pretty creative accounting--RapidBuyr CEO Tom Aley thinks there are nevertheless plenty of products that could catch the eyes of procurement managers at small and medium-sized businesses.

 

RapidBuyr is launching both national and city-based lines, with 40 cities lined up now and, Aley says, as many as 100 by year's end. The startup is teaming up with American City Business Journals--the parent company of city-based publications like Silicon Valley Business Journal and Boston Business Journal--to leverage their sales force and bring vendors on board.

Says Aley about RapidBuyr working American City Business Journals,

"Large companies like Microsoft and HP spend an enormous amount of time trying to find small business people, working with RapidBuyr is going to get them ten to twenty million impressions advertising their product the day they run it."

Yesterday RapidBuyr launched its first deal: five licenses to online backup service MozyPro--a $400 value--for only $199. In the months to come, expect to see offers on everything from computers to accountants to courrier services to cloud-based software.

While procurement managers are notoriously stodgy--hardly the type to leap at the kind of impulse buys that are fueling the consumer deals space--Aley, a former senior vice president at Dow Jones and founding partner at Reed Elsevier Ventures, tells Fast Company he thinks there’s huge opportunity to sell to businesses that know what they need but just haven't pulled the trigger yet. And vendors, he believes, will jump in, if only for the advertising possibilities.

COMMENTARY:   Business-to-business daily deals was going to happen sooner, rather than later. As a former CFO and controller I was always looking for deals on office supplies, computers, office furniture, you name it.  I remember recommending to a former boss to purchase a used trade show exhibit for a dotcom that went bellyup that cost them $100,000+.  We bought it for $7,000 after moving expenses.  It was a killer at the tradeshows where the company exhibited.

Here's How RapidBuyr Works For Merchants

• No Upfront Costs - It costs nothing up-front to run a deal. Every business who runs a deal with us is a partner.  RapidBuyr gets a small cut from every deal made, and our merchants and service providers get the rest. Customers love the great deals. Everyone benefits. RapidBuyr collects the money from customers and mails you your part. RapidBuyr creates the copy.  Merchants submit some upfront information and then, for consistency and to maintain the RapidBuyr identity, RapidBuyr handle all copy, promotional material, call-ots, etc. Once created, of course, RapidBuyr asks Merchants to review it for accuracy. Merchant promotions will generate significantly increased sales volume with same day results. And it will have a viral effect. Just a single day feature will give businesses a huge burst of free advertising and thousands of new customers, at no risk or starting expense to you. Big exposure, new customers, no risk, fast results, nothing up-front.
• Reach The Right Audience - RapidBuyr has partnered with well-known major business publishers to ensure that your promotion will reach millions of business buyers in thousands of businesses nationwide. In addition, our subscriber base is well-connected via social media, extending your deal even further by means of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media avenues.
• Effective and Measurable - Offering a deal through RapidBuyr, will deliver positive measurable results that traditional media can’t begin to approach. After a promotion runs, you will see full-paying, repeat customers and increased sales. RapidBuyr equals efficient, measurable marketing!
  

Here's How RapidBuyr Works For Buyers

• Sign up - Subscribe to RapidBuyr. All you need is an email and a zip code.
• Check out the latest deals - Check your email, Facebook or Twitter feeds for today’s local and nationwide deals.
• Spread the word - When you find a deal that’s particularly excellent, pass the information along to your contacts by email or post it to your social networks.
• Purchase the deal - Click Buy and enter your credit card info. It’s that easy.
• Enjoy the deal’s benefits - Print the coupon and redeem it with the featured business to get your deal. Click the license key or token you receive by email to redeem your deal with a software, SaaS or cloud merchant. Or wait for delivery of the equipment you ordered, which will be shipped by UPS ground within 48 hours of your order.
• Sample deals - RapidBuyr negotiates deeply discounted deals with popular businesses, usually 30-70% off of high-quality goods and services. View sample deals on our sample deals page.
• Offer your own deals - By accessing Merchant Street, you can offer your own deals to fellow RapidBuyr members.

I like the NO UPFRONT COSTS and RapidBuyr only makes money when the deal is sold.  Nice and clean.   The RapidBuyr has an experienced management team and they have some impressive people on their board of directors.  They are accepting employment applications, and the company appears to be funded by insiders, but could not tell for sure.  

I think this is a great idea for a new business venture, and the partnership with American City Business Journals gets them a lot of impressions.  A lot will depend on the perceived value of the deal.  Factors that must be taken into consideration is the brand, quality, durability, design, quantity and of course, price.  Like Groupon and Livingsocial in the business-to-consumer daily deals space, there is going to be competition unless RapidBuyr can develop barriers to entry or other competitive advantages.  There also a lot of large distributors that sell things in bulk to small businesses including Price Club, Office Depot, to name a few.

Hey guys, don't stop there, get on eBay, get national exposure and get even more impressions. Businesses shop there all of the time.  Craigslist maybe another possibility too.  Whatever, I think this new startup is going to be successful if they can execute and move FAST.  There is such a thing as first mover advantages.

Courtesy of an article dated April 28, 2011 appearing in Fast Company