Creation of b2b portals. Your sales proposition and target audience

• Expertly assess the prospects of such a development for the organization
• Conclude a design contract. During the design process we examine critically important processes in the organization, assess the volume of documents, highlight important documents, processes and tasks.
• The next stage is a contract for technical specifications. Based on the design survey, detailed technical specifications will be drawn up for subsequent program implementation.
• After the development of the portal, a stage of trial operation, testing, and preparation of regulatory documentation is carried out.

Key management tasks when implementing a b2b website

Comparison of the product catalog in 1C and on the website

As a rule, in the 1C information base, the structure of the “Nomenclature” directory is the result of a long history of work by different users. In most cases, the external client will not be able to navigate the current structure. The goal is that it should be convenient for the client to collect an order in his personal account.

Pricing in 1C and on the website

As a rule, when selling through personal accounts, clients expect an individual approach to pricing. It is necessary to approve the scheme for setting prices for items in the order.

Assign responsibility to clients

An order from your personal account must be created in 1C under a predefined user, preferably depending on the client.

Decide where to store product descriptions

It’s possible in 1C, or on the site itself. The issue is ease of administration.

Formulate a customer identification policy.

The client receives a login and password. But in one organization there may be two or more employees who have access to the personal account, or there may be one employee for two organizations.

Order approval regulations

Some order items are in stock, others may take some time to arrive. The task of order synchronization is not trivial. The client sent the order and received a final invoice in response. However, the structure of his application has not changed (for the sake of history). But in the orders table he sees the invoice amounts. If orders are synchronized, it is important to approve the order status system in order to limit the phases of order approval between the client and the manager.

Order statuses and notifications

In offline mode, the Buyer's Order has two statuses - Paid or Shipped. When clients move online, there will almost certainly be an objective need to introduce additional intermediate status options - received, agreed upon, approved, ready for shipment, sent for delivery, etc.

Integration with 1C

We have all the necessary competencies to set up data exchange between the site and 1C. Personal Area with full integration with 1C this is very high level your business, now cool companies can afford it. The service is described separately in the Integration section.

How much does it cost to create a B2B website?

Such projects are always very individual. We have an interesting basic offer, for only 199,000 rubles. This price will include:

• Product license 1C-Bitrix: Site Management
• User authorization with login and password
• Creating an order from your personal account
• Manual administration of orders, statuses and documents
• Downloading documents via LAN
• Support module

Additional options on your b2b website may be:

• Integration with 1C
• Internal chat for employees and clients
• Generation of invoices for payment
• Chatbot for order tracking

Important: a convenient b2b account can only be created on the basis of high-quality terms of reference, the development of which will be based on business needs. Contact us and sign an agreement to develop your own internal portal for clients.

b2b portals are systems of interaction between the Customer and his clients. Essentially an online store or personal account, but equipped with complex business functions.
For example, counterparty debits, online reconciliation (accounting debt), integration with 1C, SAP or AXAPTA, display of multiple warehouses or availability of goods “in transit”.

Such systems are designed individually for the Customer’s business processes: first, a pre-project study is carried out (under the guidance of a business analyst, project manager and technical director), and only then a work estimate is drawn up and the system is designed.

b2b has been gaining popularity over the past 5 years:
Indeed, saving human resources and the possibility of growth - in one product

Non-standard functions of b2b systems

Cases

Look at our case for Dominanta - sales management of advertising structures.
b2b system for ordering electrical equipment, Elevel company
Integration with AXAPTA: Personal account for 100,000 users “Caesar Satellite”.
Portal "SportMag" - more than 2000 registered companies.
International exhibition portal ExpoClub (Negus Expo).

Team

Already at the start of the project, we introduce the Customer to the team. Typical composition: project manager, analyst, technical writer, 1-3 programmers, designer, technologist and 1-2 QA specialists. As usual, all this is supported by top management: technical and account directors.

The manager is the central link of the project:
remembers everything, is responsible for everything and stays with you
at further development project.

Production: development scheme, version control, autotests.

In the process of writing the terms of reference, we create a diagram of website blocks with dependencies: this allows you to program in stages, as well as assign parallel tasks to programmers.

With the help of a version control system, you can assign several programmers to a project at once, and their changes can be easily tracked. The same technology is used for further site support.

When delivering a project, we use both automatic and manual testing to ensure everything is covered. Download a sample website testing report.

Technologies and frameworks

Web: PHP (1C-Bitrix, Laravel, Symfony, YII, ZEND), Java2EE, ASP.net (C#), Ruby, Python.

Mobile: SWIFT, Objective C, java, React.

Testing: Jenkins, Selenium, Cucumber, Calabash, JUnit, Allure.

Escort

After delivery, we maintain the project using Jenkins for continuous integration - continuous shipment of updates, and GIT for version control.

How do we stand out?

Quality Standards. In 2018, we confirmed our quality management standards: we are certified according to ISO 9001:2015 (certificate) and ISO 27001:2005 (information security management).

Development transparency. Clients see all the Studio employees in our Intranet system and can communicate with them directly there. All agreements are recorded in tasks, information is not lost (unlike mail or telephone).

Guarantee period . We provide unlimited (unlimited) a guarantee for all the work we perform, our specialists will advise you free of charge on the creation of websites and further promotion of your projects.

The B2B market segment has much in common with the B2C segment. Sites in both the first and second cases have a clear information architecture, clear principles interactions, contain unique selling content, invite the visitor to study the details of the product/service, etc. In fact, almost all the standard UX principles that were originally applied to B2C are now used for B2B properties.

However, B2B audiences often have their own needs, which are quite different from the needs of ordinary visitors. In addition, there are many differences in the sales cycle: the B2B audience is characterized by a long decision-making phase, often significantly higher price tags, etc. All these factors cannot be ignored when developing and testing a resource. We bring to your attention 5 main differences in UX (user experience) of the B2B sector.

1. B2B content should take into account the long buying phase

The B2B sector is not characterized by impulsive purchases; most often, a transaction is the result of a long, complex decision-making process. This happens for several reasons: firstly, the cost of the transaction is usually relatively high. In addition, the process usually involves several people at different levels of the corporate hierarchy. These clients often spend weeks, months, or even years researching products before a final decision is made. Throughout this process, they will share their options with other team members, discuss them, explore the pros and cons, and only then commit to their choice.

The B2B procurement process often begins with one person within the company examining the problems facing the organization and trying to find ways to solve them. At this stage, the client may have little understanding of the market segment and product features. Often he is more focused on the problem, but after a while he begins to explore the subject more thoroughly and study your competitors.

In order to support B2B clients at every step, you need to:

1. Use content (articles, blogs, webinars, technical documentation, buyer's guides, case studies), helping visitors understand the problems for which you offer solutions at the first stage of their search. If your product/service is a key part of such a solution, indicate that.

2. Make sure your content meets the criteria your visitors will use to evaluate your competitors. Don't forget to demonstrate your knowledge and successful experience in solving a certain type of problem. Just as a photographer frames an image to focus on the most important subject, so too should you highlight those points that will impress visitors.

3. Acknowledge the presence of competitors, but prove that your product is better through comparison tables or additional text content.

Quadgraphics.com uses case studies to demonstrate how a company's expertise and products solve specific business problems. Resource structure: tasks (problems), their solutions, results and details that are most important to users. Bulleted list of the main points allows you not only to focus on the content, but also makes it possible to compare the company’s offer with those of competitors.

2. The resource must be presented full information about product compatibility

Many B2B purchases are not stand-alone products per se - they are purchased as part of a larger large system. This fact requires a thorough study of compatibility, and this applies not only software or computer equipment. B2B clients must be confident that new products and services will fit into the company's existing daily processes. If a resource visitor cannot find information about compatibility and integration, he will simply close the tab and move on to competitors’ offers.

Compatibility information must be provided for the following products:

• Software;
• Computers, printers, scanners, other office equipment;
• Production equipment, including robotics;
• Ventilation and air conditioning systems;
• Technical testing equipment and automation equipment;
• Projectors, Acustic systems and other equipment for making presentations;
• Chemical, biotechnical, laboratory, testing equipment;
• Security systems;
• Equipment for loading and transportation;
• Equipment for points retail, terminals and kiosks, etc.

Compatibility information should include several items:

1. Product integration: the name of the standard services with which your product works.

2. Options: indicate the versions of those products that can be integrated (for example, if your application requires certain version salesforce system, be sure to indicate this).

3. Advantages: If your product goes better with one of the possible options, write about it. For example, if the application is available for both Android and iOS, but in the latter case you can offer additional functions, clearly indicate this. Sometimes customers make decisions not only based on the benefits of a product; information and how it is presented on the resource often play a big role.

4. Technical support: Tell users what kind of support you provide for hardware integration or migration to new system. This clause will let your clients know that you will remain in contact after the deal is closed.

5. Standards: When using industry standards, list each one and give maximum detailed information(for example, organizations that have approved this standard).

6. Documentation for connecting the product: place technical details, requirements, etc. on the resource. If the user needs to carry out any manipulations before connecting, be sure to write about it. Don't forget to specify external requirements such as temperature, network power, version operating system etc.

7. Cloud integration and API information support for software.

Remember also that many companies (especially in the industrial sector) have strict rules or standards that they must adhere to. These may be environmental requirements, safety standards, etc. For such customers, the choice of products or services will depend on the availability of detailed compliance information and compliance with certain standards.

The Amazon Services website provides detailed information about the compliance of its services with ISO 9001 standards, with confirmation in the form of a certificate.

3. Content must meet the needs of users and decision makers

As already mentioned, procurement for the B2B sector, as a rule, involves several representatives of the company. For example, if one organization needs to purchase a new oscilloscope, the initiative will most likely be approved by a middle manager, the executive director will make the final decision, and one of the company's ordinary employees will make the purchase. Many sites for B2B audiences provide information only for decision makers, and this is a big mistake! Directors and senior managers certainly play an important role in the purchasing process, but they will never use the product (in most cases).

Recent studies have shown that during the decision-making process, representatives of the “top” repeatedly discuss purchasing options with those who, in fact, will use the product or service. Often, the end user, such as a researcher, will research the problem themselves and later present options to the company's decision makers.

Your content must meet the needs of both end users and senior management of the company. The first, as a rule, needs information about the features and details of the product, confirming its ease of use and guarantees of further support. In addition, they must provide a compelling demonstration of the chosen solution to their supervisors. So help them: post necessary information, intended for end users, and prepare materials for company management (for example, brochures or PowerPoint presentations).

What are decision makers expecting? Content for this audience should answer questions about cost, reliability, integration, and should prove that the purchase will provide maximum ROI and compare favorably with competitors' solutions.

4. Complex pricing algorithms need to be made easy to understand.

Most products in the B2C segment are characterized by simple prices, which do not change depending on the client. The only exception may be special promotions. Prices in the B2B segment are not so simple. Here the product or service is “tailored” to the needs of each client, who can receive significant discounts in connection with the purchase large quantity goods or agree on special terms of the transaction.

As a result, the final cost of a product for B2B and B2C areas may be different, and it is sometimes very difficult to indicate it on the resource. What to do?

Of course, for a B2B audience, often not only the price will be a decisive factor, but still indicate the exact price. If this is not possible, take a representative sample of your pricing. Provide several typical scenarios or a calculator to calculate the cost of goods. At an early stage, each B2B client needs to navigate the price range in order to approve the budget; and the exact price can be confirmed later.

Chargify's website shows a simple pricing structure using several typical scenarios to suit the size of the organization. For example, for large enterprises with user contracts, the approximate cost is $0.06 per client. Nearby you see a noticeable call to action button, which encourages you to discuss more specific conditions with the manager (“Let’s Chat”).

The price posted on the website (or, according to at least, price range) also has another positive effect on your business: this information acts as a filter. Your sales team won't have to waste time dealing with customers who can't afford your products or services. However, they can add your product to their “wishlist” until they can afford it.

Conversely, if you offer cheap solution, you can emphasize this by explaining the reasons and tell that it can be scaled as needed depending on the size and needs of the company.

5. UX for different segments, different audiences and different scales business

B2B companies often need customer support, and this can range from a small business to a huge international company. Let's face it: some products may not be suitable for every customer segment. To provide maximum clarity and inspire trust among your audience, indicate on your B2B resource how your products solve problems for companies of different sizes.

For example, the security system supplier must provide various information for the small business owner who wants to protect his store after hours, and for the bank representative who is looking for a solution for a network of branches across the country. Both clients are in the B2B sector, but they have very different needs. It's important that your site helps your visitors find options that suit their specific needs.

A typical approach to solving this problem is to build information architecture site around these customer segments. Phrases such as “for small businesses”, “for corporate clients" etc. However, be careful not to confuse your visitors. The categories must be clearly separated from each other and mutually exclusive. If you are dividing businesses by number of employees, write specific numbers (for example, for small and medium-sized businesses).

Sharp's business website categorizes clients by industry. Because some of these groups overlap to some extent, Sharp also provides other navigation options to highlight products by type.

Another option for solving this problem is to use filters that help you make a choice based on your needs, rather than the size of your company or market segments. This allows you to identify products that meet several criteria at once. But be careful: if your product targets different customer segments, overly specific product usage patterns may alienate customers from other industries.

Conclusion

Of course, B2B and B2C sites have a lot in common, but it’s worth remembering that B2B audiences have different needs. When designing a B2B resource, make sure you take the long buying cycle into account and ensure that your content is relevant to each decision stage.

Provide details on how your products integrate with other common industry solutions and include content targeted at both end users and purchasing decision makers.

Provide pricing schemes based on company size or other criteria, and help visitors find products that meet their company's needs.

Website development is not an end in itself and not the first step that needs to be taken when starting work on electronic marketing for a company. Due to the fact that the Internet marketing market initially set the tone technical specialists, not marketers, we are still paying the price with an instrumental approach to internet marketing. I was like that myself, what can I do.

In this article I will tell you about a website for a B2B company from the point of view of the company’s entire email marketing system.

What is the algorithm for developing a website for a B2B company?

A website is one of the most important elements of an electronic marketing system: it allows you to attract new customers, simplify interaction with existing ones, identify customer needs, measure the effectiveness of advertising (not only for the Internet) and much more useful things.

Traditionally, in Russia they first develop a website, and only then think about how to promote it, and how it is generally connected with the company’s marketing and other departments. But its development should be approached only after developing an Internet marketing strategy.

We must move from business goals to tactical tools, as in this illustration.

Let's look at each point separately.

1. Formulate business goals for the company’s presence on the Internet.

What might such goals look like?

• Reducing the cost of servicing current customers.
• Entering new regions.
• Expansion of the dealer network.
• Strengthening brand components (recognition, loyalty, trust).
• Increased sales.

2. Yours trade offer And the target audience.

It is necessary to segment your target audience and understand why each segment may be interested in your offer. Based on the needs of each segment, communication will be built in advertising channels and on the website.

You need to get answers to the following questions:

• Who are your target customers? (Gender, age, industry, region, etc.)
• What problems does your product solve for each target audience segment?
• What objections do customers have when purchasing this product?
• What stereotypes must be overcome to make a sale?
• Why is your product better than your competitors' product?
• What unique features will a client receive when working with you?
• How can communication be built with each client on the site? What will he need to learn and what will be the target action?

Let's look at a small part of segmentation using the example of a Russian siding manufacturing company. Only some of the segments are indicated here and not all the criteria by which the segmentation was carried out.

Target audience segment	Expectations	Objections	Possible proposal for the segment and argumentation	Expected target actions on the site
Construction companies and teams (for private construction)	Hitting the client's budget. No quality problems. Prompt delivery times for materials and timely delivery to the site. Safety of material during transportation. Logistics (predictable and prompt delivery times). Reliability - both as a manufacturer and as a partner.	They are looking for confirmation that the brand can be trusted. Compare the cost with analogues.	Russian siding is inexpensive and of high quality, and you can make money on it due to volumes. All given expectations.	Application for status as a siding distributor. Download the booklet. Call the dealer department.

3. Development of an Internet marketing strategy.

On at this stage we must conduct analytics of the company's current Internet marketing in order to record current performance indicators. Analyzed advertising channels and how effectively prospects on your site are converted into actual customers.

It is very important at this stage to study the generated demand for your product on the Internet. This is how your clients look for a contractor to solve their issues.

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Introduction

To understand the opportunities that technologies for automating intercompany interaction via the Internet (Business-to-Business or B2B) provide companies, it is necessary to at least briefly consider the basic principles of building such systems and integrating them with suppliers and customers. The main task of B2B systems is to increase the efficiency of interaction between companies in the market.

B2B systems can be divided into two classes:

Corporate B2B systems

Corporate information systems (CIS) are the core for creating B2B systems, since they are the ones who, by automating and optimizing the processes of interaction between departments within an enterprise, make it possible to effectively organize interaction with suppliers and clients.

The CIS usually includes the following modules:

• Financial management
• Manufacturing control
• Inventory management
• HR management
• Supplier Relationship Management
• Customer Relationship Management

But the CIS is not yet a full-fledged B2B trading system, although some of its modules can perform a number of functions in the trading and purchasing activities of an enterprise.

Electronic trading platforms are designed to organize the commercial activities of participating enterprises. Based on the principles of creation, B2B trading platforms can be divided into three main groups:

• Independent,
• Industry
• Private.

In addition, they may differ in functionality within each group. Moreover, it is possible various combinations functions on one site. Each solution has its own advantages and disadvantages. No single trading platform can effectively provide all the functions required by market participants. As a result, companies entering the B2B market typically use a variety of channels to interact with their customers, suppliers and partners.

B2B and B2C: Two big differences

The term B2B usually refers to a wide range of online services in which, one way or another, not only, and not so much, individuals, but enterprises and companies participate. That is, in the B2B sector there are goods and services that companies sell to each other. The main commodity and money turnover occurs in the corporate environment and practically does not enter the consumer market. The particular appeal of this sector of online commerce is that it is more tied to commercial necessity rather than consumer preferences and fashion.

But before we consider the features of each of the models for building online B2B systems, let’s consider what are the advantages of these trading platforms over online B2C (Business-to-Consumer) retail systems.

Scale

A B2C trading platform (electronic store) is actually a one-way communication network that creates much more advantages for the seller than for the buyer.

B2C trading system diagram

IB Partners LLC, 2002

Business2 business. ru

Business-to-business B2B e-commerce nodes are more of a network of two-way exchanges between buyers and sellers, and create benefits for both parties.

B2B trading system diagram

IB Partners LLC, 2002

Business2 business. ru

The value of a B2C system increases approximately linearly with the number of users, whereas in B2B inter-company trading it increases as the square of the increase in the number of users.

Let's imagine that there are five potential buyers and sellers on the intercompany trade market. Every time, wanting to make a transaction, the seller must contact each potential buyer. In this case, each market participant must make five contacts if they want to sell or buy a product. Sellers will make 25 contacts to sell their product, and buyers will make 25 contacts in search of the desired product.

When using online trading platform, the number of necessary contacts between sellers or buyers is reduced to 10. Sellers place five offers for sale, and buyers place five applications for the purchase of goods.

The importance of professionalism

Creating an online retail store generally does not require the creators to have detailed knowledge about the products they sell. They simply trade goods for which there is demand. Therefore, they easily change the list of products offered and introduce new categories. In contrast to retail trade, in inter-company online trade, knowledge of the specifics of the product and markets is a necessary condition success. Experience and knowledge of a specific market are the main barriers that must be overcome when creating an intercompany trading hub.

Attracting and retaining clients

Online retailers use advertising and other programs to attract customers. Corporate clients are unlikely to become participants in an intercompany electronic trading platform just by seeing an advertising banner. It requires establishing regular contacts with potential clients. Attracting buyers and sellers is a long and expensive process - you need to create and upload an online seller directory, you need to understand the business process, establish trading rules, integrate the node system with the systems of sellers and buyers.

All of the listed features of B2B systems create significant advantages for the creators of online intercompany trading systems. The high entry barrier, the need for deep industry knowledge and the high cost of attracting and retaining customers contribute to achieving greater profitability and business security compared to retail systems.

Product and information flows of enterprises

Before considering options for organizing B2B systems, it makes sense to recall how the movement of physical goods and information occurs in industrial enterprises.

Main commodity and information flows of the enterprise

IB Partners LLC, 2001

Business2 business. ru

As can be seen even from this simplified diagram, the number information flows significantly more than the routes for moving goods. In today's economy, processing and sharing information has become a more powerful and efficient means of doing business than moving physical goods. The value of companies is increasingly determined not by its tangible assets (buildings, equipment), but by such intangible assets as people, ideas, technologies, as well as the strategy for combining and using the company's main information resources.

A significant part of these information flows consists of fairly easily formalized and, therefore, amenable to automation procedures. And this opens up a wide field of possibilities for the use of modern technologies for transmitting and processing information.

The core of such an automated enterprise information exchange structure is corporate information system (CIS) or Enterprise Resources Management (ERP). Her main task is the automation of information flow management between individual divisions of the company. It allows both the management of the enterprise and the heads of main departments to receive full operational information on the state of production, stocks of raw materials, supplies and components in the supply department, the availability of goods in stock finished products, financial condition of the enterprise and human resources, as well as monitor and manage corporate resources.

An important link in the trade and procurement activities of an enterprise is the financial system and the information and cash flows associated with it. Since online payment systems are currently practically not used in our country, to simplify the consideration, this system, despite its importance, is not shown in the diagram.

Since relationships with customers of an enterprise are one of the most important conditions successful management business, in Lately Solutions for automating relationships with customers (CRM - Customer Relationship Management) have come to the forefront in B2B solutions. Their capabilities usually include marketing functions (information about the company’s products and services, promoting them to the market, studying demand), sales (coordination with the client of specifications, terms and conditions of delivery), as well as after-sales support.

Another important link in maintaining relations with outside world for the enterprise are the organization of relationships with suppliers (SRM - Supplier Relationship Management). Automation systems for this area of ​​B2B technologies usually include functions for searching for a supplier, agreeing on specifications and terms of purchase of raw materials, materials and components.

Both a CRM and an SRM system may also include a supply chain management subsystem (SCM - Supply Chain Management), allowing both the seller and the buyer to have information about the status of the shipment.

Electronic trading systems

The first step towards ensuring electronic interaction between an enterprise and the outside world is the company's corporate website on the Internet. At first it is used as an interactive information channel to create a positive image of the company and promote its products and services on the market. In the future, it may include certain CRM, SRM and/or SCM functions, turning it into a commercial corporate trading portal B2B or B2C.

Corporate commercial website

The key element of such a site is a catalog of goods and services indicating prices and delivery conditions, as well as related sections and interactive functions of the site. In the commercial part of the site, the catalog should be able to go to pages that indicate delivery conditions and payment forms, and provide the ability to place an order and receive confirmation of its acceptance for execution. It is in this case that we can say that the company has organized Internet trading of its goods and services.

Types of trading via the Internet

Source: Internet Marketing magazine

Business2 business. ru

It should be noted that companies that have not achieved a certain level of automation of internal processes are unlikely to be able to fully take advantage of online trading.

On the one hand, an important advantage of online sales is the provision of specialized, dynamic information content (information about products, their availability in the warehouse, price and delivery conditions) that is important for buyers.

On the other hand, when using online purchasing technologies, it is necessary to constantly have information about the needs of all departments of the enterprise for production, non-production and consumables.

All this requires access to information from various departments of the company, its automatic updating and processing. All this should be provided by a corporate information system.

Electronic trading platforms

Even more complex is the integration of internal information systems with the online systems of other market participants.

B2B technologies can be most fully and effectively implemented in specialized online trading platforms (marketplace), the services of which can be used by groups of enterprises acting either as sellers or buyers. Due to specialization, trading platforms make it possible to organize full-fledged Internet trading, providing participants with the necessary range of services.

Integration points for online trading systems

IB Partners

Business2business.ru

Based on the type of management, there are three types of B2B trading platforms:

• Independent trading platform(Independent trading marketplace)
• Private marketplace(Private marketplace)
• Industrytradingarea(Industry sponsored marketplace)

An industry or private online trading platform can be created either by a supplier interested in simplifying the process of selling and delivering their products (sell-side marketplace), or by a buyer who wants to optimize the process of purchasing components and materials (buy-side marketplace).

Types of B2B trading platforms

Each model for organizing an online trading platform has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Independent marketplaces

Independent trading platforms once attracted huge attention from the press and investors. They were usually created by young, energetic Internet companies to serve specific industries or product groups. They offered participants a solution to the problems of finding trading partners, a single place to do business, virtual control business relationships and the ability to compare prices from different suppliers.

Industry trading platforms

Industry trading platforms have become the response of traditional business to the dominance of newly minted Internet companies. These trading platforms allowed industrial giants to take advantage of online business and manage the development of B2B commerce in their sector of the economy.

The Russian information and trading system e-Metex.ru has united almost all domestic pipe manufacturers, collectively owning 90% of the market, and the founders of the Metalcom.ru portal were seven organizations that are members of the Russian Association of Metal Traders.

Private marketplaces

Private marketplaces are created by large firms to leverage the power of online technology to deepen integration with their trading partners. Private marketplaces combine existing internal information systems participants to improve the performance of supply chains and reduce transaction costs between them.

Examples Russian systems This type of system can be called Dealine and RSI Dealers Network.

Specialization of B2B trading platforms

Typically, ETPs usually specialize in a certain industry or product (vertical nodes) or in a certain business process (horizontal nodes). Trying to satisfy everyone is a recipe for failure.

Vertical nodes

Vertical (industry) ETPs serve vertical markets (mechanical engineering, rolled metal, petroleum products). They provide information specific to a given industry and take into account the specifics of the relationships that have developed in it.

The following factors contribute to the success of vertical nodes:

• Increased fragmentation among sellers and buyers.
• Reduced efficiency of existing supply systems.
• Deep knowledge of the specifics of the market and the relationships between participants.
• Creation of main catalogs and a convenient search system.
• The presence of related verticals that balance the client base.

Functional (horizontal) units

B2B functional platforms are focused on performing specific functions or automation a certain process(logistics, insurance, payments) for various industries. Their experience is usually centered around a specific business process that is horizontal, i.e. easily transformable to various vertical markets.

The following factors contribute to the success of functional units:

• Level of process standardization.
• Deep knowledge of the process and experience in its automation.
• Supplementing process automation with deep information content.
• Ability to adapt the process to specific requirements various industries.

Trading models of inter-company e-commerce nodes

When creating an ETP, various models for organizing interaction between sellers and buyers are used. These may be fixed-price models, typical of catalog sales, or dynamic pricing systems, typical of auction, exchange, or barter trading.

List or catalog model

concentrates sellers and buyers in one place. It is best suited for industries characterized by highly fragmented buyers and sellers who frequently transact in relatively inexpensive items. In this case, it makes no sense to agree on prices, and they are fixed by sellers. The catalog model also works well if the majority of sales are made by known suppliers and according to certain rules, and the buyer needs to read the offers to select a seller large number small suppliers. Finally, this model works well in markets where demand is fairly predictable and prices rarely change.

Auction model

provides spatial convergence of sellers and buyers. It works well in cases where custom, one-of-a-kind or perishable goods or services are bought or sold by companies that have different approaches to determining the value of the goods. This group includes rare items, capital equipment, used goods, warehouse balances and similar products.

Exchange model

ensures temporary coordination of supply and demand. Such a model requires the creation of mechanisms for coordinating supply and demand in real time, determining the market price, as well as the process of registering and conducting transactions. This model is best for standardized products that have several easily standardizable characteristics. The exchange model is attractive for markets where demand and prices are unstable. It allows market participants to manage excesses or peaks in demand.

Often, business-to-business e-commerce nodes offer more than one trading method.

Functionality of trading platforms

In the world of online trading platforms, there are no platforms that offer the full range of functions required to enter into and execute trades. While many ecommerce models offer a wide range of features, none can support all of them equally. In each specific case, the best solution is to select a set of services (from information content to supply chain management) and their functionality that best satisfies users. For various types platforms, the requirements for the functionality of each service differ markedly.

Requirements to functionality trading platforms

Functional Type of trading platform

* - Low or no functionality

* * - Average functionality

* * * - High functionality

Source : Accenture

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Thus, trading platforms differ in the form of ownership, functionality, focus of activity, choice of partners and benefits provided to participants.

Conclusion

Majority Russian companies recognize the opportunities and benefits offered by online trading systems, but they often underestimate the difficulties of their implementation. To fully realize the benefits of e-business, companies need to:

• Create at least a basic internal information system
• Review internal processes, systems, standards, approaches
• Overcome resistance to change both within the company itself and among its partners and clients.

And the creators of the platforms themselves must clearly understand what the needs of their potential clients they will be able to satisfy what advantages in comparison with traditional methods trade, they can provide users with how ready the users themselves are to adapt to new business technologies.

Each of the considered models for building a B2B trading platform allows you to increase the efficiency of one or more important functions in the buying and selling process:

• Search for a supplier
• Price transparency
• Tracking product movement along the supply chain
• Logistics
• Product development
• Purchasing and Supply
• Supply Chain Planning
• Service management

But no single marketplace model can provide all of these benefits at the same time. Therefore, a company that wants to take full advantage of B2B technologies must use a strategically and dynamically managed integrated approach that most effectively uses the capabilities of a particular model to best meet its needs.

Skillful use of combination various models will be in the near future important factor ensuring competitive business. As B2B technology evolves, companies that believe that e-commerce is just a buying and selling process risk being left on the sidelines and driven out of business by more forward-thinking and aggressive competitors.