AppDirect Acquires vCom to Bolster ‘Everything Store’ for B2B

B2B commerce platform AppDirect has acquired vCom, an IT lifecycle management provider for midsize companies.

The closure of the $100 million deal, announced Wednesday (Dec. 10), will see vCom’s offerings embedded with AppDirect’s recently launched unified lifecycle management platform.

“Integrating vCom’s lifecycle management platform, Buyers’ Club network, and mobile solutions into the AppDirect procurement suite will expand our customers’ ability to manage the end-to-end lifecycle of all of their technology in one single platform,” AppDirect CEO and Chairman Nicolas Desmarais said. “From software and infrastructure to hardware, energy, and now network and mobile, we’re delivering on our vision to provide the everything store for business through our advisor community.”

As the release noted, AppDirect helps technology advisors offer differentiated levels of services to gain greater wallet share from customers and prospects.

This acquisition lets AppDirect’s partners access vCom’s wholesale Buyers’ Club, increasing its 14,000 advisors’ ability to earn added commission on the services they sell. The company first announced its plan to acquire vCom in November.

Other recent acquisitions by AppDirect include BuiltFirst, adding that company’s self-service marketplace platform technology to AppDirect’s suite of solutions. And last year, the company acquired ADCom Solutions’ Network Operations Center (NOC) and VEEUE platform, saying they would allow AppDirect to launch a suite of managed network and infrastructure services through its channel of advisors.

In other B2B commerce news, PYMNTS wrote recently about the challenge of conducting payments in this space, where complications exist that aren’t found in other environments. Many orders negotiated pricing, customized terms, compliance checks and multi-party logistics.

“The case for straight-through processing in B2B once lived in the back office, framed around cost savings and process optimization,” that report said.

“Automating order intake, reconciling invoices and matching payments meant reducing headcount in accounts payable and shortening days sales outstanding. Those benefits remain, but they are no longer the primary driver.”

But now, the strategic question is differentiation. For suppliers, the ability to tap directly into a buyer’s procurement platform, determine availability in real time and auto-generate compliant documentation is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for participation.

“Large enterprises are embedding straight-through requirements into RFPs, particularly in industries like automotive, electronics and chemicals where supplier ecosystems are vast and transaction volumes are high,” PYMNTS wrote.

“After all, a supplier might have the right product and the right price, but if they can’t transact electronically without friction, procurement leaders are thinking twice. It becomes a risk to speed and to cost predictability.”