A new study, “The Emerging Role of B-to-B E-commerce,” reveals that 31 percent of all B2B marketers surveyed identified themselves as “strong” or “complete” adopters in 2012. And, by 2014, at least 40 percent of those marketers will be fully committed to e-commerce. As of 2020 the B2B e-commerce marketplace represents 6.64 trillion US dollars. Between 2012 and 2020 the number of Millennials has grown to half of all consumer in the market.
Marketers, e-commerce, and Millennials
Conducted by BtoB Magazine, the survey (sponsored by SAP’s Ariba Inc.) also found that:
- 15 percent of marketers avoid e-commerce entirely
- 23 percent of B2B companies make products available online or via portal
- 19 percent also sell via social networks
- 8 percent conduct e-commerce via online marketplaces, including Ariba Discovery or BuyerZone
The big winner in the future is going to be e-marketplaces:
72 percent of the survey respondents said they would be most likely by the end of the year to engage in a portal that caters to buyers and sellers, with functions that include requests for quotes, ordering and bidding.
Other e-commerce strategies that companies are planning for include customer portals, electronic invoicing portals and electronic data interchanges.
What is less surprising to us than the data is the fact that there still exists the myth that e-commerce is entirely the realm of consumer goods. While going for a pure, consumer-like online purchasing experience won’t always translate for all brands, it’s crystal clear that manufacturers and distributors need to take an omnichannel approach.
Start-ups, mid-market, enterprise:
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e-commerce to grow.
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