B2B Online Stores: The World Of E-Commerce
Business to Business Solutions is a specialized group of professionals utilized to aid businesses in connecting with other businesses. Business to Business (B2B) Solutions are sweeping the internet as alternative solutions for businesses to exchange products, services, or information with other businesses rather than with consumers.
Commercial Web Sites: commercial websites offer B2B companies to sell directly from their site. These are often members only websites where the buyer has to be a registered user in order to purchase.
Product Supply/Procurement Exchange: These are websites where business can shop for supplies, request proposals, request or offer bids, and/or services.
Specialized Industry Portals: These offer a broader purpose than procurement sites. Industry portals offer discussion boards, product listings and reviews, and are sometimes used to buy or sell products of services.
Brokering Sites: Brokering sites act as a liaison between consumers and providers, such as equipment rentals.
Information Sites: Information sites do just that; provide information about the industry to companies and employees such as industry standards and research.
Specific examples of B2B services are easily found. These services include, but are not limited to:
Pharmaceutical sales: Pharmaceutical /Drug companies market and sell directly to doctors and hospitals.
Beer, Wine, and Alcohol Vendors: Market and sell alcoholic beverages, supplies, and advertising products to businesses in the hospitality or food service industry.
Advertising: Advertising has always been a major player in the B2B community. With the rise in popularity of the internet, more advertising solutions are available and businesses do not have to sit through presentations.
Equipment Rental Companies: U-haul and Caterpillar are excellent examples of equipment rental services. Both companies provide equipment to rent for consumers but use a “middle man” to do it.
Online marketing: Google seems to have done a pretty good job of cornering this market, although they are not the only player in this field. Consumers looking for information are rerouted several times when searching the internet to get the information. Most companies pay for this in the “pay per click” realm or companies like Click Bank pay people to advertise their eBooks.
Although B2B has been used on and off the internet, B2B is used primarily to describe use in the internet. With the ease and accessibility of the internet, B2B is a rapidly growing industry and there has been much excitement on the growth potential for B2B instead of B2C (Business to Consumer), however, in some instances it can become an overcrowded industry. For example, Google advertising and SEO business; people are flocking to this type of business because it is an easy alternative to earn a living, but how long before this industry is filled? Can Google keep promising the earnings in an already overcrowded market? Another industry would be real estate. Agents offer online search engines for buyers and sellers, but when checking into several different sites, the agents don’t offer just the houses they are contracted to sell, but all homes in the area for sale. So why would a consumer shop for a better agent when any agent will do?
If there is no competition for a better product, how long will this industry truly last? B2B Solutions will have to constantly be adapting and adjusting to the current needs of the business seeking their expertise or product. B2B will have to remain a specialized niche' in their realm of business.
