Sourcing & Business
Product and supplier sourcing, negotiation, samples and quality control for e-commerce and SMBs. Lower supply costs, higher margins.
Margin is lost before the sale
You can have the fastest website and the best-optimised campaigns, but if you pay more for your products than your competitors do, every order earns you less than it should. And if quality doesn't hold up, the margin disappears into returns, refunds and negative reviews.
Our Sourcing & Business service tackles the problem where it starts: what you sell, who you buy it from and on what terms. We manage the whole journey from A to Z, from business analysis to the first order and on to stock management.
The problems we solve
- Too many returns: products that don't match expectations, recurring defects, inconsistent sizes or specifications.
- Low or unstable quality: batches that differ from one another, no checks before shipping.
- Supply costs higher than your competitors': prices never renegotiated, too many middlemen, terms accepted without alternatives.
- The wrong product range: items that tie up budget and warehouse space but don't sell, while the products the market wants are missing.
- Poor stock management: best sellers out of stock and capital stuck in what doesn't move.
How it works, from A to Z
- Business analysis: figures, margin per product, returns, current suppliers and your position against competitors.
- Range selection: we decide which products to keep, which to drop and which to add.
- Supplier search: we find global and local suppliers that match your requirements on price, quality, volumes and lead times.
- Negotiation and mediation: we negotiate prices and terms and act as the bridge between you and the supplier.
- Samples: we check the products before you commit budget to an order.
- Quality control: we set the standards and verify them, so quality doesn't depend on luck.
- First order: we follow the order through to delivery.
- Stock management: we set up reorder points and stock levels that match real sales.
- Continuous improvement: we review margins, suppliers and range so the business keeps growing.
What's included
- Analysis of margins, supply costs and the causes of returns
- A shortlist of suppliers selected to fit your needs, global or local
- Negotiation of prices, minimum order quantities and terms
- Sample management and quality control
- Support on the first order and on stock planning
- Business consulting: range, pricing, processes
Every project is different, so pricing is tailored: it depends on your products, volumes and how many stages of the journey you hand over to us.
Who it's for
- New e-commerce stores that want to launch with the right products and the right suppliers, instead of finding out through returns.
- Established e-commerce stores that sell but see margins shrinking, or that compete with players who buy better.
- Non-e-commerce businesses, such as B2B or hardware companies, that need the right product and a reliable supplier. That's the case of Trakni, for whom we sourced the suppliers of their GPS tracking devices.
Results achieved with clients
With the clients we've worked with, we've achieved −20% to −50% on supply costs, with better-performing products and noticeably higher margins. These are real results, not a promise that applies to everyone: savings depend on your starting point, product category and volumes. That's why we always start with an analysis.
From factory to checkout
A sourcing agent finds the supplier but doesn't care how you sell. A web agency builds the site but doesn't know what you pay for your stock. Zedeum does both.
Once products and suppliers are sorted, we can work on the sales channel: a fast, conversion-focused store through our web development service, and email and follow-up flows with marketing automation. One partner, from factory to checkout.
Frequently asked questions
Do you only work with overseas suppliers?
No. We search for both global and local suppliers and choose based on your needs: price, quality, minimum quantities, lead times and proximity.
How much does the service cost?
Pricing is defined case by case, based on products, volumes and the stages to manage. The first step, the supply analysis, is free.
Is the 20–50% saving guaranteed?
No, and it's only fair to say so. It's the range we've achieved with the clients we've worked with. In the initial analysis we assess your case: if we don't see room for improvement, we'll tell you straight away.
Do I have to hand over the whole process?
No. You can hand us the entire A-to-Z process or just some stages, such as supplier search, negotiation or quality control.
Is the service suitable for businesses that don't sell online?
Yes. We also work with B2B companies and businesses without an online store, as in the case of Trakni.
Find out how much margin you're leaving on the table
In a free call we review your products, current supply costs and the causes of your returns. We'll show you where margin is being lost and whether we can help you win it back. No commitment, no price list to sign up to.