Launching the National PPE Marketplace: A Successful Supply Chain Marketplace that Resulted in Over 200 Vetted Suppliers & Massive Demand Outreach to Institutional Buyers.
" Ignited our marketplace fast" - AHC
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Executive Summary
All Hazards Consortium (AHC) is a non-profit organization that brings together public and private sector stakeholders to address and mitigate all hazards facing communities across the United States.
The AHC was founded in 2005 to promote collaboration between the public and private sectors in responding to all hazards. The AHC is a member-based organization that represents the emergency management, homeland security, and business communities. The AHC's members include state and local government agencies, private sector companies, and non-profit organizations.
Number of Stakeholders: 10,000+
Industry: Disaster Response
HQ Location: Washington DC, area
Listen To The Overview
All Hazards Consortium (AHC) is a non-profit organization that brings together public and private sector stakeholders to address and mitigate all hazards facing communities across the United States.
Introduction
Background
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, causing unprecedented disruptions to businesses across the country.
In response to the pandemic, AHC launched the National Vetted PPE Exchange (PPEXCH). An established safe environment for institutions (States, local government, school districts, hospitals, etc.) to research and connect with trusted PPE suppliers to reduce their procurement risk and increase overall resilience and continuity.
Additionally, PPEXCH was designed to provide a platform for business leaders, emergency managers, and government officials to share their experiences and insights related to business continuity during the pandemic.
The National Vetted PPE Exchange (PPEXCH)
PPEXCH : Tier 1 Marketing helped develop a multi-vendor, “uber -like” rapid sourcing model for institutional buyers that connects vetted PPE Buyers and Suppliers into a secure framework that helps buyers get multiple competitive quotes for their PPE request within minutes vs. hours/days.
The series consists of panel sessions, each focusing on a specific aspect of business resiliency, such as crisis communication, supply chain management, and workforce continuity.
- PPEXCH is open to all AHC members and non-members, with registration required
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PPEXCH consists of a credit-based request account model that incentivizes repeat requests.
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PPEXCH sends request to vetted suppliers to compete for the business.
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PPEXCH provides institutional buyers with access to participating vendor inventory and method to initiate dialog in a secure environment.
Number of Vendors: 200+
Number of Buyers: 500+
Vendors Registration Rate: 40+%
Buyer Registration Rate: 35+%
Conversion Rate: 18%
Challenges
The AHC's mission is to promote the coordination of public and private sector resources to enhance the nation's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all hazards. The AHC achieves this mission by facilitating communication and collaboration between its members and providing them with access to resources and information.
As an organization, AHC recognized how important it was to establish a strong presence in the Disaster Response Community given the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite their best efforts, the PPE problem is a complex supply chain problem involving issues with supply, demand, quality control, distribution, and overall logistics. Both industry and government were competing for the same limited PPE resources.
The AHC faced several challenges during its development and implementation, including:
- Limited Resources - As a non-profit organization, AHC had limited resources to devote to the PPEXCH. The team had to work with a small budget and a limited staff, which made it challenging to develop and execute a comprehensive multi-vendor marketplace application.
- Limited Market Window - Given the sudden shift to supply chains caused by the pandemic, AHC had limited time for go-to-market planning, strategies and execution. As a result, the team had to overcome several technical challenges, such as ensuring that all vendors were thoroughly vetted and buyers could access and engage with the vendors through a secure online application.
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Limited Reach - Given marketplace dynamics, in that both vendors and buyers must be “brought to the table” at the same time to create a viable marketplace situation, AHC faced challenges in attracting and retaining a large audience for the PPEXCH. The team had to develop effective marketing and outreach strategies to a broad audience to ensure success.
"I was worried that we wouldn't get any traction from our stakeholders (audience). I knew that leadership in this time was important for our organization, but I wasn't sure how to make it work for us."
- Tom Moran, CEO of All Hazards Consortium
Solutions
To address limited resources and technical difficulties in planning and executing their multi-vendor marketplace, the AHC implemented strategic partnerships with other organizations, collaborative planning with subject-matter experts, vendors, and robust outreach strategies through various channels.
They also worked with Tier1 Marketing Solutions to ensure that the technical aspects of the vendor and buyer outreach were seamless, timely and user-friendly.
- Strategic partnerships - AHC partnered with several organizations, including suppliers and manufacturers, to develop and promote the PPEXCH. These partnerships helped to increase the marketplace visibility and attract a larger audience.
- Collaborative planning - AHC collaborated with its partners, communication director, and subject matter experts to plan and develop the PPEXCH outreach content. This approach allowed the team to leverage expertise and resources from multiple sources and develop a comprehensive and high-quality on-boarding experience for prospective vendors and buyers.
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Robust Outreach - Tier1 Marketing Solutions developed a robust marketing strategy to promote the PPEXCH. The team used various channels, including advertisement (PPC), social media (Linkedin), cold-email marketing, and targeted outreach to relevant stakeholders, to reach a broad audience.
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Technical support - AHC worked with Tier1 Marketing Solutions to ensure that the technical aspects of the PPEXCH, such as marketplace accessibility and vendor registrations and vetting, were seamless and user-friendly.
"I was blown away by the results that we achieved with Tier 1 Marketing Solutions. Their team is incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated to their clients"
- Tom Moran, CEO of All Hazards Consortium
Results - Success Stories
Product Launch: A successful supply chain marketplace that resulted in over 200 vetted suppliers and massive demand outreach to institutional buyers. Vendor side outreach acquired over 200+ vetted suppliers to share inventory level (one of the highest of any marketplace during the pandemic).
Buyer side lead generation for institutional PPE buyers, successfully generated marketplace demand using massive cold out reach to large institutional buyers (states, universities, hospitals, etc) .
Improved Vendor Acquisition
Marketing Outreach Strategy & Follow-Up automation:
Increased audience email list open rate by 230%
Preemptive outreach marketing and partnering with industry leaders and vendors proved to be an effective strategy for increasing brand awareness and achieving higher engagement rates. By reaching out to industry vendors, the company was able to expose their brand to a wider audience, resulting in a 120% increase in website traffic and a 50% increase in social media engagement (Linkedin). Additionally, partnering with stakeholders and vendors who had a genuine interest in the solution helped to create more authentic content that resonated with the target institutional audience, leading to a 20% increase in click-through rates on email campaigns and a 25% increase in revenue, week over week.
Thanks to Tier 1 Marketing Solutions, we've been able to launch our app to our base. Their team really knows what they're doing when it comes to online brand marketing!. - All Hazards Consortium
Monetizing Existing Audience Base with Targeted Content and Influencer Partnerships:
Building Authentic Connections through Outreach Efforts
Working with Tier 1 Marketing Solutions has been a game-changer for our organization. Thanks to their help, our brand is now more visible than ever before, and we're seeing a significant increase in brand recognition and loyalty - AHC
Marketplace App Development & Go-To-Market Strategy
Streamlined operations resulting in a 40% increase in sales:
Custom development of the marketplace app facilitated a high volume of transactions and ensured a steady stream of revenue
The development of a custom marketplace app with a focus on privacy for buyers and transparency for sellers was a critical component of the company's success. The credit-based account model for repurchases incentivized repeat business and ensured a steady stream of revenue. The go-to-market strategy was executed flawlessly despite the challenging environment of the pandemic. The marketplace app was launched just six weeks after the first lockdown (May 2020), allowing the company to establish a foothold in the market ahead of competitors and generate early sales momentum.
What was taking me a few hours actually brought it down to just a matter of a few minutes...And that was a huge benefit. - [ AHC Customer] Lancaster County Pennsylvania Emergency Management
Conclusion
In conclusion, the success of the marketplace app during the pandemic was due to a combination of strategic initiatives and innovative solutions. The custom development of the marketplace app ensured privacy and transparency for buyers and sellers, and the credit-based account model incentivized repeat business. The go-to-market strategy was executed flawlessly, capturing the attention of buyers and sellers early on and establishing a foothold in the market ahead of competitors. In addition, the lead generation efforts for both PPE suppliers and institutional buyers were critical in generating demand and ensuring a steady stream of revenue. Finally, the integration of a custom sales funnel and follow-up automation proved to be a game-changer in terms of converting leads into customers. By implementing these strategies, the company was able to navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic and emerge as a successful player in the marketplace app industry.
Ultimately our nation's supply chains caught up and filled the marketplace supply again and the viability for this app became less and less as the pandemic faded away.
At Tier 1 Marketing Solutions, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional results for our clients, and we're committed to helping businesses succeed in the digital age. Whether you're looking to grow your online media audience, increase brand awareness, or drive revenue, we have the expertise and experience to help you achieve your goals.
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