Buyer Groups

  • Updated

Buyer Groups are an administrative tool used to control, which users can see and purchase from specific suppliers. By organizing your Marketplace into groups, you can ensure specialized departments (e.g. IT or Facilities) see the vendors they need; while hiding them from the general user base.

 

Core Concepts

  • Default Setup: Most communities create a "General" buyer group for universally accessible suppliers.
  • Specialization: Create specific groups to restrict high-value or niche suppliers (e.g., Hazardous Chemicals, IT Hardware).
  • Flexibility: Both buyers and suppliers can belong to multiple groups simultaneously.
  • User Profiles: Buyer group assignment happens at the individual user level, within their profile settings.

 

Best Practices

  • Use a "Catch-all": Always maintain a "General" group for your contracted office supply and cleaning vendors. To ensure all staff can perform basic procurement.
  • Audit Regularly: Periodically review group memberships, especially after departmental restructures. To ensure users still have appropriate access levels.
  • Catalog Visibility: Remember that if a supplier has a catalog, it will only be visible to buyers. Who belong to a group that includes that supplier.

 

Administrative Actions

Navigation: Administration > Users > Buyer Groups tab.

 

Adding a New Group

  1. Click +Add Buyer Group.
  2. Name: Enter a clear name (e.g., "IT Hardware Group").
  3. Description: (Optional) Add details to help other admins understand the group's purpose.
  4. Click Save.

 

Assigning Suppliers to the Group

This step determines what products/services will be visible to members of the group.

  1. Locate your group and click Suppliers.
  2. In the Available column, select the desired supplier(s).
  3. Click the right-arrow icon to move them to the Selected column.
  4. Click Save.

 

Assigning Buyers to the Group

This step determines which users gain access to the group's suppliers.

  1. Go to Administration > Users.
  2. Locate the specific user and click Edit.
  3. In the Buyer Group field, select the desired group(s).
  4. Click Save.

 

Maintenance & Removal

  • Edit: Change the name or description of a group at any time by clicking Edit next to the group name.

 

  • Remove Suppliers: Within the Suppliers pop-up, move vendors from the Selected column back to the Available column using the left-arrow icon.

 

  • Delete Group: If a group is no longer needed, click Delete. 
    • Note: Ensure you have reassigned users to a different group first so they don't lose all marketplace access.