VIRTUAL marketplace operator B2Bpricenow.com is rolling out about 400 business centers to be operated by local cooperatives funded by LandBank.

The company is partnering with LandBank to select the cooperatives that can run the B2B Centers.

The rollout is part of the company’s second phase expansion that will include opening a total of 1,500 B2B Centers for the next two years. These centers will be used primarily as access points for B2Bpricenow.com suppliers and buyers nationwide.

The B2B Centers will be run by the cooperatives similar to a franchise business, thus, each of cooperative has to shell out about 250,000 pesos for each B2B branch.

Also as part of the second phase, B2Bpricenow.com will partner with systems integrator Unisys to install a payment gateway for LandBank, thus allowing account holders in B2B to pay their purchases online.

Edgardo Herbosa, managing director for B2Bpricenow, said the amount covers about two computers, a printer and a photocopying machine. Also included is a smaller kiosk selling mobile phones and prepaid cards for B2Bpricenow.com clients.

"The B2B Centers revolve around the idea that our suppliers and buyers are members of a cooperative who would want to access their accounts in B2Bpricenow, but have no means to do so. The B2B Centers can be used by members to check prices, buy and pay online," Herbosa said.

Herbosa also said that the centers also serve as capacity building centers for the cooperatives that would want to have entrepreneurial lectures.

For the phone selling part of the kiosks, Herbosa explained that the B2Bpricenow.com website has an SMS component where members can check prices, and buy or sell items.

B2Bpricenow.com has been in operation for the past two years and already has about 4,000 members, most of which are cooperatives.
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