The B2B marketplace is perceived tech- phobic which means anything that smells automated to the user cannot be simple. The fight is on, to prove that it is but very simple. It just needs to be addressed, that’s all. Technology need not be feared, it does add only value. The buyer will save time and money and the seller will save on customer acquisition cost, where if a shipper wants rates and clearance, technology will give it all - value, in every service that is provided. How this new striker with a tech-enabled model can herald a movement is to make a statement and deliver a complete package in terms of the price discovery that can assure clarity, compliance to rules, speed, transparency, profitability and instantaneousness. A lot could be replaced by adding value through technology.

Tech can be predictive, Tech can analyse. Said and done, pure tech play cannot change human nature. Herein lies the trick. Technology will need Humans.Solution: the tech driven model brings in the now-needed human touch. A hybrid platform which is not merely a portal, which can be an assisted process to transact the deal. Why hybrid? Because a full-fledged technologically sound platform may not quite be what the buyer may want to adopt immediately. Show the buyer a face, a voice that is capable of being the guide and give some comfort with the initial handholding- that is what technology will do...take it whole lot further.

The idea is brilliant, so why wait till the concept gets tested?

Watch this space for more…. Next: “The Limit(lessness) of Technology”