CREATION: Online buyers offered 'matching service' by PromoDuck.com

<p>With B2B markets thriving on the Internet, it seems the timing has </p><p>been right for the launch of PromoDuck.com, which acts as a search </p><p>database for the gifts and premiums industry. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Launched about two months ago, the site offers a free service featuring </p><p>an estimated 35,000 items and 14,000 manufacturers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ms Karen Wong, CEO of PromoDuck.com, said: "When agencies give </p><p>briefings, it is very difficult for them to know exactly the product </p><p>they want. They have a vague concept or a key word, but the challenge is </p><p>to find the right product and to facilitate better communication between </p><p>agencies and marketing managers. We are not creating a need here, but </p><p>satisfying one that has been there a long time. We are adding </p><p>convenience to the job." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The concept may be exactly what the industry needs; however, the service </p><p>is still in its infancy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While interested buyers can find the right item by searching with key </p><p>words, getting in contact with the manufacturer and obtaining the item </p><p>can be an enduring task. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"At the moment we are only offering a matching service. We believe there </p><p>is a big need for sourcing ... They (buyers) cannot place orders over </p><p>the site. Once they identify the item, they place it in the enquiry </p><p>basket and it is sent to the manufacturer. He then receives it and will </p><p>send back the enquiry quotation, sampling etcetera. If they place an </p><p>order, they have to arrange payment themselves and do all the paper </p><p>work, as you can't do it on the site. So it is up to the buyer and </p><p>manufacturer," Ms Wong told CReATION. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The PromoDuck.com website has nine features, including the e-Premium </p><p>Show, which acts as a virtual exhibition. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ms Wong added, "True, there are lots of virtual malls and exhibition </p><p>booths on the Internet, but we have not found any that are designed with </p><p>the buyers in mind. Buyers do not think linearly most of the time." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>