Hugh Cox calls on the government to take action to improve awareness and activity through its new Digital Marketplace.

Buy online

Enable public sector organizations to buy online will, naturally, generate revenue and ensure that suppliers see immediate benefits from their investments in the G-Cloud. The government, as the facilitator, could take a percentage of sales.

Sell online

Public sector organizations are innovating faster than ever before, designing technologies that others could benefit from such as private companies.  So, why not make it possible for public sector organisations and their employees to sell online?   The government, as the facilitator, could take a percentage of sales.

Match-making 

Established app markets or exchanges are loaded with thousands of products that never get in front of potential buyers, or may not fit the exact requirements of buyers.  The team behind the G-Cloud may want to consider providing a personalised service that brings together the buyer and the seller beyond theCloudStore.

Create a community

Products and services are the core focus of the G-Cloud but it lacks a community behind it, which is required to drive repeat business and word of mouth.  It’s therefore suggested that the government create a community of potential buyers and sellers. Revenue could be generated by selling online advertisements.

Value-added services

There is a lot of data that the government is collecting on suppliers and buyers that could be of use to both parties.  Why not sell this information, taking into consideration privacy concerns, to parties that could benefit from it. 

Take it to the consumer

 For the government, the biggest market isn’t businesses but British taxpayers so why not make it possible for citizens to buy via the Digital Marketplace?  This wouldn’t just improve the delivery of public services but generate more revenue by centralising online shopping from government entities such as The Royal Mint, Royal Mail, and Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency.

From Hugh Cox is chief data officer at supplier Rosslyn Analytics