Speedy international growth shows attraction to procurement professionals, founder says
The operators of procurement and supply chain online business network Procurious are claiming strong growth two months after launch.
Founder Tania Seary says that since its soft launch in May, the site has attracted registrations from 48 countries with widely differing economic profiles.
“The global spread of users tells us that the site is growing organically, and fast,” Seary says, with her operation boasting a membership of more than 1,000 in countries as varies as the UK and US to Ghana, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Seary believes the attraction is in the ability to debate industry issues with like-minded individuals, ask questions of peers via the discussion board, and access bite-sized training modules to grow their skills.
“Our research showed that procurement professionals worldwide feel like existing business networks such as LinkedIn are not hitting the mark – they’re too broad,” she adds.
“So we knew that there was a genuine market potential for a niche online network like Procurious.”
The operators say the site has attracted procurers and supply chain people from some of the largest global businesses including SAP, Lloyds Banking Group and Schweppes.
Procurious is now live but will officially launch with all features later this year, they add.
So far the top five most popular topics discussed on the siteto date is said to be:
- how online networking is revolutionising the supply chain
- the pros and cons of low-cost country sourcing
- creating a winning procurement team
- traits of top chief procurement officers
- benefits of the virtual classroom.