Serving marketplaces via Onetrail and expanding the product portfolio? Seijun Tji and Dennis Kat are working on it

How can Onetrail better match its services to the needs of manufacturers, possibly expand with the option of offering articles directly on the B-to-C marketplace and which companies are actually on the market when it comes to EDI and data exchange? Seijun Tji and Dennis Kat have been working on these three questions since February of this year. Both conduct their research as part of their graduation at a higher professional education institution. Seijun Tji is a fourth-year logistics management student at the Hogeschool Utrecht. Dennis Kat is also in his final year. He is studying commercial economics in Rotterdam.

Today, Onetrail still mainly connects the distributor, reseller and retailer. Seijun focuses specifically on the question: “How can the Onetrail service be better connected to the needs of manufacturers and what are the specific wishes of a manufacturer.”

New sales outlets and more online possibilities are emerging, according to Seijun, which offers manufacturers a broader reach towards customers. But this also makes logistics and stock management across all multichannel points of sale increasingly complex. “I’m going to look at how we can help the manufacturer simplify this part of the puzzle.”

Seijun Tji – Fourth-year logistics management student at the Hogeschool Utrecht

Growth of marketplaces
Seijun also focuses on the question: ‘What is the impact of the various web shops and online marketplaces that open their platform for sales by third parties?’ Seijun: “I am going to investigate what that means for the logistical challenges of a manufacturer and how such an extra sales channel can also run via the Onetrail network. Where are the opportunities for Onetrail to address this development successfully and what are other additional needs of manufacturers?”

“When you think of online marketplaces, you quickly think of Alibaba or Amazon. Blokker.nl, for example, is now also very active in this field and there are already at least fourteen platforms with a marketplace function in our own country. For the whole of Europe, there are already more than fifty. The number has certainly increased sharply due to the corona crisis and an increasing proportion of sales takes place via an online marketplace.”

“Onetrail still mainly connects the distributor, reseller and retailer. The question is whether and how marketplaces can be added to this.”

SEIJUN TJI

B2C and B2B
Seijun completed his plan of action in mid-March and in the second phase he will talk to existing and potential customers, among other things, to see what their needs are. One of the aspects he looks at is the difference between B2C and B2B ecommerce. “With B2C you have to offer 24 hours of availability. After all, customers expect fast delivery. Ordered before midnight, delivered the next day. This is less of an issue with B2B. ” The research is expected to be completed in June this year.

Seijun then plans to pursue a master’s degree in supply chain management. According to him, internship research in corona times is unfortunately very different than usual. “I’ve only been to the office once and don’t know what the coffee tastes like, so to speak. You do miss the personal contacts. On the other hand, a lot is organized to also maintain informal contacts online. All in all, the lines of communication are a bit longer and more independence is expected from you. But that’s fine.”

Competitive analysis

Dennis Kat focuses on the research question: ‘How can Onetrail best improve its product portfolio and positioning so that the company is future-proof for the coming years?’ Dennis: “Onetrail notices that competition is increasing and wants strategic advice to strengthen its market position. With this research I will focus on the EDI market in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. On the latter, I will also work together with Onetrail colleague Adam Stanier in London. The research ties in well with my broad economic studies, because different parts of my education are reflected in this project.”

Dennis Kat- Commercial economics student in Rotterdam

First get to know Onetrail
In the first phase, Dennis is also mainly concerned with getting to know Onetrail and its products and setting up the research. The second phase involves an analysis of the market and its various competitors. “To research strategic choices, I use marketing theory and marketing models. My focus is on the four Ps: product, price, place and promotion. I will also talk to Onetrail customers and other links in the market, so that I can test my theory and find out what the customer’s needs are. With the outcome of the research, I will provide Onetrail with strategic advice on its product portfolio for the coming years. ”

“I hope to give Onetrail good strategic advice on its product portfolio for the coming years.”

DENNNIS KAT

Until now Dennis has done a lot of desk research and had conversations with colleagues at Onetrail to get to know the market and products well. “My internship period is of course very different than expected due to corona. Everything is done completely from home. I have not yet been to the office in Zeist. This makes it more difficult to build a relationship with the company and your colleagues. We did have a Zoom lunch and drinks, which are nice initiatives. Hopefully more is possible towards the summer. When I have finished my studies and obtained my diploma, I would like to get a job in marketing. Until now, the market research and analysis appeal to me the most, due to the combination of marketing and numbers.”