Target participants
5 to 8 purchase managers or owners of small manufacturing or trading businesses
The problem
Small and mid-sized Indian businesses often find suppliers through calls, WhatsApp forwards and trade directories. Before the first order they have little to go on beyond a GST number and a few photos, and getting it wrong means advance payments lost or goods that never match the sample.
Buyers rely on gut feel and references from friends. This challenge asks you to understand how purchase managers decide whether to trust a new supplier and what signals they wish they had.
Research question
How do small business buyers decide whether a new supplier is trustworthy before paying an advance?
Suggested methods
User interviewsContextual inquiryCompetitive analysis