At a crossroads, can anyone help?

[luke_mclachlan]

Hi all,

 

I've been away recovering from major surgery. One of my projects for the new year was to put in place a online tool that enables biomass customers to directly compare products from different biomass suppliers across the UK.

 

The tool is now ready. Customers can search for suppliers within x-miles of their home and sort products according to distance, price and even kilowatt hour price. All of the UK's biomass products can be shown to them in a matter of minutes.

 

Here's my problem though. I've called several suppliers today and none were interested in helping me test the product. They were all worried about the possibility that customers would be comparing prices and go for the best priced supplier, hence a price war with an unhealthy end.

 

Some of you were kind enough to help me with my survey a little while back. Most of the responses mentioned the need, within the industry, for a standardised "quality" measure of biomass. Apparently there are too many cowboys in this industry selling poor quality firewood for example. Hence I developed this tool to measure the energy output of biomass, allowing consumers to compare products on a cost-per-kWh basis.

 

Now that I have this product in place and, if you like, granted the wishes of suppliers, they're now turning around and saying that this isn't in fact a good thing for the industry. I know for a fact the consumers would love this service, but it's useless if suppliers don't want to participate.

 

For example, how would you compare a truck (loose) load of ash with 25% moisture, against a 1m3 (stacked) crate of kiln dried (20%) mixed hardwood? I know it's impossible for my mum and dad to know which is the better deal. My model compares the two based on the cost-per-kwh. It's the best way to compare the two, isn't it?

 

I'm confused and I feel more than a little dejected. Can anyone give me their opinions. advice. please.

 

Thanks.

[Richard 1234]

Can you not just put it out there anyway to start as a comparison tool and then see what traffic you get and then go back to the suppliers, maybe not as a price comparison but as a quality comparison?

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Stick with it Luke! Sounds like you've got an angle - but I can kind of see how suppliers might be a bit anti at this early stage.

 

Turn the problem around. Look to the potential customer base for support rather than the suppliers. If you get enough users of the product signed up, the suppliers will follow like sheep - it's no good having a product if you can't get it to market or being the only supplier that's not signed up when all the customers are looking at your app.

 

Where a bouts in Devon are you? Might be good to catch a brew sometime and talk about it. I'm working on small scale pellet production this Summer and I know a few folks (biomass users) that might well be interested in your app.

 

If the suppliers won't play ball - go after the users!!

[Dean O]

As Kevin says if you can get users using it somehow then the suppliers will want to be on there.

Kind of chicken and egg tho'

It would have to be marketed on a large scale to get creating some traffic to your app/website.

[luke_mclachlan]

Can you not just put it out there anyway to start as a comparison tool and then see what traffic you get and then go back to the suppliers, maybe not as a price comparison but as a quality comparison?

 

Thanks Richard. The only thing is that, as there are so many specs that need to be defined when I input a new product (moisture, stacking, delivery costs, etc), if I don't cooperate with the supplier I risk misinforming consumers and this may annoy both supplier and consumer.

 

When you mention quality comparison, how would you go about showing this? I could score a product based on a series of metrics such as species & moisture, but how would you then compare briquettes against firewood?

[luke_mclachlan]

Stick with it Luke! Sounds like you've got an angle - but I can kind of see how suppliers might be a bit anti at this early stage.

 

Turn the problem around. Look to the potential customer base for support rather than the suppliers. If you get enough users of the product signed up, the suppliers will follow like sheep - it's no good having a product if you can't get it to market or being the only supplier that's not signed up when all the customers are looking at your app.

 

Where a bouts in Devon are you? Might be good to catch a brew sometime and talk about it. I'm working on small scale pellet production this Summer and I know a few folks (biomass users) that might well be interested in your app.

 

If the suppliers won't play ball - go after the users!!

 

Hi Kevin, I've always been early in product cycles and I may have outdone myself on this one. You're right it is early days.

 

At first I thought about customer engagement, then decided to go for suppliers as a way of drawing in customers. After all I need them to pull up a result when they search. You've convinced me though to be patient and not expect success after only 2 days!

 

I'm in Axminster. And you? I'd love to have a chin wag and a brain storm!

[luke_mclachlan]

As Kevin says if you can get users using it somehow then the suppliers will want to be on there.

Kind of chicken and egg tho'

It would have to be marketed on a large scale to get creating some traffic to your app/website.

 

It certainly is chicken and egg! well said.

I'm going to have to get the word around by coming up with some creative marketing. I need to show a viable product if I'm ever going to gain funding for that marketing budget you mention. social media, press releases and brain at the ready! My motivation right now is to have the same suppliers who turned me down, ringing me in a year wanting to sign under the dotted line.

 

...but I still need a few at least to say yes, NOW

[Richard 1234]

Thanks Richard. The only thing is that, as there are so many specs that need to be defined when I input a new product (moisture, stacking, delivery costs, etc), if I don't cooperate with the supplier I risk misinforming consumers and this may annoy both supplier and consumer.

 

When you mention quality comparison, how would you go about showing this? I could score a product based on a series of metrics such as species & moisture, but how would you then compare briquettes against firewood?

 

I see what you mean because that then goes back to cost, when I wrote that I was thinking about energy output per kilo or m3 or something along those lines.

Maybe how much useable energy per unit. That sounds daft even as I'm writing it:blushing:

[Chalgravesteve]

Thanks Richard. The only thing is that, as there are so many specs that need to be defined when I input a new product (moisture, stacking, delivery costs, etc), if I don't cooperate with the supplier I risk misinforming consumers and this may annoy both supplier and consumer.

 

When you mention quality comparison, how would you go about showing this? I could score a product based on a series of metrics such as species & moisture, but how would you then compare briquettes against firewood?

 

Therin lies your problem with the suppliers. There are so many variables in each different product/supplier and you are asking them to trust you to input all the variables correctly for their products and do the same for every other supplier. I cant see how you can put all suppliers in there......dodgy dave and his wet logs is not going to appear is he?

 

Even once you have created the database of suppliers/products, how does the comparision weight each variable? If the supplier does not understand it then they wont participate in fear of letting someone else damage their business?

 

Developing apps is the easy, albeit costly bit. Getting people to use them and suppliers to support them, particularly if you are asking suppliers to pay to be on it.....and if you are not asking for payment and its free, then people don't think its going to be much good!

 

Life''s a bitch!

[oakum]

I'm guessing hereLuke but have you tried to get the FC to put there stamp of approval on it?