Omentra moves to online end-to-end procurement services

Omentra.com, which started as a B2B e commerce service in Sri Lanka on 10 July this year, has within its first quarter expanded into becoming Sri Lanka’s first online procurement service, making it also one of the few available in the global market.

At the time that Omentra.com launched as a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce website, the markets were being flooded with business-to-consumer (B2C) online platforms, making the model easy to replicate. However, it was seen that Sri Lanka had no local equivalent to international B2B platforms like Alibaba.com or Amazon Business or even platforms like Indiamart and Tradeindia, both of which are based in neighbouring India.

Seeing a unique niche in the market, and a long un-serviced demand, Omentra was launched as a B2B e-commerce platform to much applause and appreciation. In the four short months since its launch, the platform has won the trust of sellers and buyers alike with over 550 registered sellers and over 1,100 registered buyers. 

Among Omentra’s impressive list of suppliers includes John Keells Office Automation, E-Wis, Thakral One, Orange IT, Avian, J-Lanka, Debug and Metropolitan for IT Products; Blue Chips such as Hayleys, Laugfs, Brown and Company, David Peiris Companies, Hemas and Abans; finance conglomerates such as Sampath Bank and LB Finance; and other leading brands such as Alpha, Fentons, Walkers CML, Office Networks, Solar Therm, American Waters and Piramal.

Having gathered extensive feedback from both users and suppliers, Omentra has decided to venture into new territory, on its rapid road to growth. “We have moved ourselves to more of an online end-to-end procurement solution which is 100% digital,” explains Nadun Kumara, Omentra’s Head of Operations. “We act as a free tool for anyone in procurement to get their entire job done while being seated at their seat. We have 8 industry verticals that we currently cater to; engineering, IT, office supplies, manufacturing, construction, raw materials, electricals and business services.”

Omentra’s new direction provides unprecedented ease of transaction, complete transparency and reliability for all business procurement needs. The company employs a rigorous screening process for all registered suppliers, ensuring only the highest quality brands are able to sell their product online. Sellers are also bound by a legal agreement with Omentra.com, ensuring that the rare dissatisfied customer with a faulty product may hold a seller accountable.

Omentra handles the procurement process every step of the way. Details displayed on product listings are pulled up by Omentra.com and custom curated, ensuring that all relevant information including features, payment methods, warranties, and more are displayed. This process allows the platform to filter out marketing jargon and ensure buyers view the most accurate details and description of products. Listings also at times contain supplementary content like YouTube videos and PDF documents to ease decision making.

On the other end of the process the platform also provides buyers to download comparison sheets and quotation sheets of products they wish to consider. This cuts out the difficulty of negotiating deals through lengthy liaisons while also curbing opportunities for corruption. Furthermore, since most corporate entities do not pay via credit or debit card, Omentra boasts a wide range of payment options including pay on delivery, credit periods and bank transfers. Once orders are made, buyers are given a tracking code to see where the shipment is, emphasising on the end – to -end visibility in the complete procurement process.

As Omentra moves into its second quarter, Nadun’s aim is clear: “We want this to become like a Google for businesses. We want to end up being the one-stop-shop for all businesses. Users can conduct the entire procurement process, from ordering to delivery, right here with us.”