OnBuy intends to be a simple and easy to use online marketplace, offering shoppers competitive prices on a range of products; from big-name technology giants to hand-made arts and crafts. It plans to offer its sellers lower fees than its major competitors and is aiming to become one of Europe’s leading online marketplaces.
It’s a hugely ambitious project, but one that the pair are incredibly excited about. Simon Lennon said: "In all honesty I expect OnBuy to be able to become the number one retail platform in the UK and we have our sights on the US next. Our biggest selling point over our competitors is the ease of use, making it simpler and easier for the seller to both use the site and find exactly what they are looking for”.
Although the pair are hugely enthusiastic and confident in OnBuy at the moment, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Lennon came up with the embryonic concept initially while he was studying for his BSc in Computing from Bournemouth University, building a simple eCommerce platform for his dissertation.
These ideas then grew into what is today called OnCommerce; the eCommerce solution that lies behind the OnBuy website that the public and sellers will see and use when it is launched in three months time.
Lennon explained: "The biggest issue, in all honesty, has been resources as we've essentially tried to take on Magento Solutions, who are a multi-million dollar company with a 200 man development team, with just me working on our concept! Considering what we have I think we did pretty well, but it’s taken a lot longer than we originally planned to get it all moving.”
Taking on the big-boys doesn’t daunt the pair; as they are making their début onto a marketplace which has some of the world’s leading companies at its forefront, such as Amazon and eBay.
Their confidence comes mainly from their total belief in the new platform, Paton’s entrepreneurial streak and Lennon’s background in computing. They have also benefited from investment from Hampshire based IT provider, Centerprise International which has helped the concept develop by considerably boosting their resources.
Paton and Lennon own OnRecycle, a product price comparison site for mobile phones and gadgets. They are hoping that in the future the two companies will complement each other; as consumers purchase items on OnBuy they can recycle and help fund their purchases by recycling their old gadgets with OnRecycle.
They are already building up a catalogue of sellers ready for the May launch of OnBuy. If you have a product you'd like to be considered for inclusion, get in touch with Ces Paton.
To find out more about the project, whose website is under construction, visit their Facebook Page. They are also on Twitter as @Onbuy_UK
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