On November 10th and 11th, the ME B2B Summit took place, a reference event in B2B e-commerce in Brazil. Arthur Igreja, TEDx speaker and co-founder of the AAA innovation platform, in addition to presenting this year's edition, was a speaker on the topic “Procurement of the future: voice-activated purchasing, RPA and virtual assistants".

Arthur began his talk by recalling how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people and businesses. 2020 was marked by restrictions, while 2021 brought the vaccine and the hope that everyone needed to resume life after such difficult times.

Read on!

Looking to the future is acting in the now

In the corporate world, the pandemic was marked by the advancement of situations that already existed before and were practiced timidly. This is the case of home office and remote operations, for example, which were not a matter of choice.

But from now on, with the end of the pandemic era, the speed of innovation tends to slow down considerably. Therefore, looking to the future needs to happen now.

“Innovation is nothing more than finding new paths. Finding different ways to achieve better results. Just because the pandemic is over doesn’t mean we have to give up on wanting to do things differently.”

Consumer behavior will determine strategies

To survive rapid changes and unpredictability, companies that already considered technology as a great ally suffered less during the pandemic.

This is because the search for innovation and transformation was already part of the culture of these companies. Those that were always more resistant to innovation and technology had to learn under pressure.

Cultural change is essential for digital transformation. In this sense, Arthur recalled how much consumer behavior has changed.

“Why has there been an increase in the sale of used cars? Why is a used car worth more than a new car? Used cars already exist, people already know about them, but new cars are a promise.”

Changes that are here to stay

The pandemic has transformed passivity into speed. Before, when we thought of a restaurant, we had in mind the physical space. Today, delivery is what delivers everything.

There are many businesses that are not in a physical space to receive people, and yet, they are thriving.

This is where another important aspect for the coming years comes in: availability. The company and services that are always available to those who need them will win the race.

The company that personalizes the customer and partner experience will also stand out. In both B2C and B2B, people are increasingly demanding.

And, of course, to get ahead of the competition, it is essential to establish partnerships.

“We have moved on from a time when people only tried technology in companies, and today they have the best tools at home. These facilities are also sought when doing business with companies.”

Data without intelligence is just numbers

Another trend that is already proving to be important and is gaining strength is the use of data for decision-making.

For Arthur, it is through access to data that companies can understand the gap, the highs and lows of demand and the most urgent market needs.

The human brain has processing and memory limitations. Therefore, we need to join forces and make this relationship increasingly intelligent.

Furthermore, privacy and security are also topics that should remain a priority for companies in the coming years.

The use of blockchain in the supply chain will allow the connection of chains, facilitate commercial partnerships and reduce the bureaucracy of contracting suppliers, for example.

“Technologies will revolutionize supply chains. If you have the right partner, you have nothing to fear.”

Sustainability and people first

Added to technology, environmental, social and governance responsibility, also known as ESG, is one of the most current topics in the supply chain.

Arthur recalled that investors prefer shares in sustainable companies, even if they have to give up their most profitable investments (in non-responsible companies).

Increasingly, issues involving the well-being of people and the environment must be a priority for corporations.

Today, many people have the power to choose where they want to work. We are living in the era of “The Voice” in the job market – and this is a huge challenge for companies.

“First, people. Second, technology. We need to give people a voice, create solutions and facilities, to move forward.”

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