1. Web Application Development
e-Marketplaces and B2B e-Commerce
Lecturer: Farkhod Alisherov

2. e-Marketplace
An e-Marketplace is an internet location owned by a company or consortium which allows other companies or individuals to get new suppliers or buyers for their products as well as develop trading networks which makes negotiating, settlement and delivery easier and more efficient.

3. Structure
market maker is neither a buyer or seller, but is a neutral third party
a consortium of sellers that leverage their combined power to efficiently sell their products to buyers
buyers can also set up a marketplace to reduce their costs and obtain better purchasing terms
buyers can set up another type of marketplace, a private marketplace, for their supplier networks

4. Functionalities forward or reverse auctions, vendor catalogues,
fixed price ordering,
trading exchange functionality,
bulliten boards / wanted ads

5. Options Ownership of the E-marketplace Costs Ease of Use / Support
Industry Fit
Marketplace Participation
Security / Privacy
Process Integration

6. Ownership of the E-marketplace
Successful e-marketplaces are usually backed by good capital and this helps to ensure their success and longevity

7. Costs
You should compare the costs of joining the marketplace with the projected savings and efficiency gains from joining the marketplace. Look for hidden costs. Possible things that e-marketplace charge for are commissions for completed transactions, membership fees, listing fees, value added services (inspection, escrow, delivery, etc)

8. Ease of Use / Support
An e-marketplace should be easy to use and should not require a lot of training for your staff. Check to make sure that the marketplace does not require special equipment and has a straightforward transaction process

9. Industry Fit
Many e-marketplaces are targeted toward one or two industries. Consequently the processes and structure of the marketplace are designed to maximize efficiency gains and transaction costs for that industry.

10. Marketplace Participation
If there are no buyers and sellers listed on the marketplace, it is unlikely that you will gain anything from joining the marketplace. A viable marketplace will have a lot of buyers and sellers - this is the only way that an e-marketplace can work

11. Security / Privacy
Be sure that the transaction information is not published or available for a third party or a competitor. You do not want a competitor getting hold of your key supplier data or pricing information. Moreover, you would only want to do business with reputable buyers. An e-marketplace should have systems in place to prevent or reduce fraud

12. Process Integration
An efficient marketplace should be designed so that it integrates with existing buyer and seller ways of doing business. This may means conducting transaction in an industry standard format or offering ways to "plug into" the system

13. Business-to-business (B2B)
Describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer
The overall volume of B2B (Business-to-Business) transactions is much higher than the volume of B2C transactions

14. Communication and collaboration
Many businesses are now using social media to connect with their consumers (B2C); however, they are now using similar tools within the business so employees can connect with one another. When communication is taking place amongst employees, this can be referred to as "B2B" communication

15. Differences between B2B and B2C
Buying B2B products is much riskier.
In international trade, delivery risks, exchange rate risks and political risks
Details may have to be discussed in length
Brand loyalty is much higher than in consumer goods 
The selling process involves high costs

16. B2B e-Commerce best practices

17. Make the B2B experience as intuitive as B2C
Be sure that e-commerce processes are simplified. Easy-to-follow guided selling, interface personalization and enhanced search features, as well as simple checkout processes are must-haves for intuitive B2B e-commerce experiences.

18. Ease of use, means easy to do business with
At its core, e-commerce translates into instantly available, comparable and configurable products and services. With price quotes, contract renewals and comparisons available at the business user’s fingertips, B2B e-commerce opens up new opportunities for companies to initiate the buying process.

19. Product visualization can add perceived value
Through the use of images, video and even CAD integration, B2B e-commerce allows for a new dimension in product evaluation.

20. Support customer-specific contracts and pricing in B2B
B2B e-commerce allows for customized profiles, which upon logging in, provide customers with recommended products, click-of-a-button re-ordering, and contract renewal options. With easy-to-update admin capabilities, pricing and discounts stay connected with customer profiles to ensure customers keep coming back.

21. Integrate both the customer’s and supplier’s systems
B2B e-commerce should work for you and your customers, allowing for a variety of payment options and multi-currency

22. Ensure robust security and high availability
Your must ensure effective controls, standards and infrastructure are in place to protect your data.

23. Measure B2B adoption and success with real-time reports
Measure everything. How many people visit your B2B e-commerce site? What is driving them there? Where do they go on the site? Do they purchase? If not, then where do you lose them? Watch the metrics carefully if you want to learn and improve. Dashboards are a great visual tool for real-time, easy-to-digest performance measurements

24. Engage the end customer to understand their B2B needs
If you want your customers to buy, you need to understand what they need and how your products and services can address those needs. That’s pretty basic. If they are buying online, you can track how they shop, what they look at, and what they ultimately buy.

25. Utilize a platform that is easy to administer and is constantly updated
Make sure your platform is easy to update and supports the latest technologies. Look for a vendor with a solid track record of delivering innovation and customer satisfaction. The market WILL change – make sure you can change with it to stay on top