The GEM portal has made it easier for sellers to market their products/services or apply for eTenders to respective government departments. To do so, however, all merchants must first register their products/services on the GEM portal. However, the story does not finish with everyone registering for GEM. If you want to become a seller, you’ll need to post your products on the platform as well. The first step in expanding your reach and selling directly on GEM is to post your products on the GEM portal. If you have registered on the GEM portal, you must be wondering how to proceed forward and list your products on the portal. If you had taken a plan from Bidassit, the bidding company providing tender and assisting contractors in their journey, their team will assist you in how to do Eprocurement via GEM website but if you want to do it on your own, this post is useful for you. In this post, we will be discussing uploading your products on the portal to start your tendering business with the government.
How do I add product information to the GEM portal?
The GEM portal has its own set of rules and restrictions that you must follow for Eprocurement while uploading product photographs and descriptions. Here’s how to upload products:
- Log in with your credentials
- Click on Catalogue.
- Select Products.
- Add a New Search Category
- Enter the category/product name, and then choose from the drop-down option.
You can upload your products here in 5 simple steps.
Step 1: Provide basic information about the product: As a vendor, you should constantly strive to provide your customer with the most accurate depiction of the product available if one wants to do Eprocurement. Every seller must offer basic product information such as product category and sub-category, product name, product description, model, HSN code (Harmonised System of Nomenclature Code), and SKU id, among other things. It should be noted that the HSN code is a 6-digit code. It classifies approximately 5000 products and is used globally. Here are a few things you should mention when describing your items:
- The title of the item you’re selling
- Description of the product (how to use it, for example).
- The same HSN code’s brand
- Product category and sub-category
- SKU ID for the product’s model number
- Mention product quantity: You must specify the amount and quality of available products. This allows purchasers to determine whether the desired amount is available from the supplier or not before selecting them. Second, you must provide information on the product’s current availability. Furthermore, you will be required to update the same immediately on the Eprocurement portal whenever someone purchases from the same batch. This will make it easier for you to control your inventory precisely. Your customers will also be aware of the number of products that are currently available for purchase.
- Mention the product price: When mentioning the product price on GEM, the seller must state two prices on the Eprocurement portal: the maximum retail price (MRP) and the offered price. It is important that the price supplied on GEM be a discounted price that is at least 10% cheaper than the MRP.
- Document product specifications: You must now document the product specifications. However, some common parameters are as follows: width, height, size, colour, weight, measurements, quality, grade, application, and so on. This enables the authorized officer to make an informed decision to purchase based on their needs.
- Upload product images: GEM portal has specific guidelines for adding photos and that include the following guidelines:
- Each product must have at least three photographs uploaded. These three photographs should not be identical. Instead, they should be photographed from three distinct angles so that the consumer has a better knowledge of the product.
- The photograph should be taken on a plain white background.
- A photograph should only show one product.
- The product photo should be taken without any packaging material, such as a box or carton.
- The merchandise should be aligned in the center.
Note: If you’re selling Eprocurement portal hand sanitizers, for example, the image should show a single bottle on a white plain background, without any packaging, from three distinct angles.
Image technical specifications:
- The image should be no larger than 30KB.
- Image formats supported are jpg and png.
- Diagrams, sketches, technical specs, and other non-product images are not permitted.
- Images that have been distorted are not permitted.
- The use of a watermark, brand logo, or other type of identification in the photo is not permitted.
- Images that have been edited, such as writing the image product name over the product, are not permitted.
Once you’ve completed all of your information on the GEM portal and uploaded your images, click ‘Save’. Remember to check the part on ‘Review Terms & Conditions’ and lastly ‘Publish’. The GEM team will review your product listing. You can do the same with each new product.
So we are saying,
Your job is not done by registering on the GEM portal, you must also know how to upload your products on the GEM portal. The aforementioned work can be challenging for those who are not particularly tech-savvy. You can check out Bidassist, a portal that lists out all government tenders on GEM and can assist you with how to register on GEM portal, how to upload products, etc. They have different plans under their belt catering to everyone’s needs. Connect with their customer care team to select the plan that is closest to your need.