2015 Spend Matters Prediction: Amazon, the 800-Pound Gorilla Buyer, Breaks Out of the Procurement Jungle

E-procurement is already getting “Amazoned,” but in 2015, Amazon will get “e-procuremented.” Nearly every e-procurement implementation these days features the desire to have a consumerized B2C “Amazon-like” experience. Hallelujah! OK, but what about Amazon itself, namely AmazonSupply?

We expect AmazonSupply will start lining up e-procurement partnerships in 2015. We wrote about one already in the UK before the mother ship pulled that back until a more robust plan could be put in place. Quick, stop those nimble Brits!

It’s only a matter of time. Amazon is a marketplace and needs B2B “on-ramps” beyond corporate consumers with p-cards. Luckily, by not owning the on-ramp (like SAP/Ariba), and by publishing some good APIs and partner guidelines, it can engage dozens of e-procurement providers of all colors to onboard its installed bases to AmazonSupply.

But, obviously there’s a lot to work out, namely Amazon’s fees to the merchants (which makes Ariba Network fees look like a steal). We’ll need to see how this plays out, lest MRO vendors and everyone else feel like they’ve had the “hatchet” brought down on them like a pile of books.

Joking aside, watch Amazon closely in 2015.

Stay tuned for our full 2015 predictions report, coming soon! Sign up below to receive the full report when it is released!