| |
| |
|
Ecommerce Information |
|
|
|
Grow Your Business Using B2B Emarketplace - Part II
Selecting the right emarketplace Although, IT spending has been staying flat for the last several years, corporate spending in e-business is gaining significant ground and at present surpasses 20 percent of overall IT budget. This means, more and more businesses are undertaking ecommerce initiatives, and as a result increasing sales, streamlining business processes and dramatically boosting productivity. Most experts agree that average business, which is slow in adopting e-business applications, risks loosing its competitive edge to their more progressive rivals. Emarketplaces provide with a great opportunity for small to medium size companies to test online business for a minimal risk. This is due to the factor that the e-business applications that come along with an emarketplace membership package are prohibitively expensive to develop in-house by most companies, and require large professional workforce to operate. As an example: product content development with required attributes, suitable for e-business, itself might feel like a daunting task for most offline companies. So, as a company, what should be your first step in starting e-business through emarketplaces? Naturally, out of hundreds of emarketplaces available today, you have to find one that matches all your requirements. Choosing right kind of emarketplace In best case scenario, if yours is a large enough company, you should build your private emarketplace with all the necessary features specific to your business. The potential of having your own emarketplace is amazing! - Ecommerce will add value to your existing business transactions However, as I mentioned earlier, if you are not a very big company, you will probably be better off with a membership in an established emarketplace. If you are a manufacturer, wholesaler or a buyer of certain industry specific products or services, your best choice would be a vertical emarketplace that caters specially your industry. For example: if you buy or sell fish, you should look for an emarketplace that deals with this product only. Another thing that you should keep in mind is how geographically limited your business is. If you buy and sell fish within the locality of your state or region, if available, get an emarketplace that works in your region. Totally different story, if you carry large number of products from different industries; for you a horizontal marketplace that cater a range of industries is a better choice. If you are an international trader involved in import or export, you should select a global emarketplace, which has members from the countries you deal with. Features that are must A good emarketplace amasses various features in order to facilitate smooth transactions of business deals. However, there are some key attributes that are absolutely necessary for any emarketplace to become successful; and as a prospective member you should look for these features and characteristics while choosing an emarketplace for yourself. Product catalog based on an industry-standard classification system While it might not look so important from the surface; to have accurate, well-defined and timely-updated product content is extremely crucial for any online business. Since you have to integrate your product catalog to the aggregated electronic catalog of the emarketplace, which could be a very complex task, you should make sure that the classification system that they have is widely used online; and if necessary you can use same product content with other emarketplaces or e-procurement applications. The best option, as I believe, is based on The Universal Standard Products and Services Classification (UNSPSC), which is a global coding system that classifies products and services. This categorization scheme covers the broadest collection of industries and commodities available today, and designed to facilitate e-commerce transactions by providing geography-independent common nomenclature system. Product search capability within the marketplace and e-catalog Members of the emarketplace should be able to locate any product or service, whether in the auctions, marketplaces, or in the catalog with ease. Advanced search function should allow finding required items using precise query. Supply chain process, i.e. request for quote, quotation, purchase order, billing system, etc. Efficient supply chain management is the number one strategic priority for many businesses. In 2001, Cisco System alone had to write off US $2.5 billion in excess inventories due to poor management of its numerous outsourcing contractors. E-marketplaces can help streamlining your supply chain process if the required features are embedded in their system. Directory of members Usually most emarketplaces incorporate a searchable directory of their members. The members get an added opportunity of creating new business relations and increasing sales thanks to this feature. Product content adding and editing interface In order to make product content adding and maintaining easier for sellers, the marketplace must have an uncomplicated tool. The tool could be a wizard-based combination of simple forms. To integrate larger catalogs speedily and efficiently the emarketplace should have XML based interface. Ability to promote products and services The process of posting an offer for sale of a product or a service on the marketplace should be simple and easy but sophisticated enough to create dynamic offer, offer with time limit, variable pricing based on quantity, etc. Apart from the above mentioned functionalities that facilitate conducting e-business, other key characteristics of a quality e-marketplace should include: Simplicity - An emarketplace should be easy to learn and use. Large Community - The quantity of members should be big enough, so that new participants can expand their business. Flexibility - Emarketplace functions should be flexible enough to modify or add with new features when necessary. Neutrality - The emarketplace should be an unbiased venue for both sellers and buyers. No member should have any privilege at the expense of others. Providing an open and transparent market for all the participants is an important constituent of the value proposition of an emarketplace. Cost of doing business through e-marketplace In general, thanks to the large member base, e-marketplaces charge a reasonable subscription fee if you would like to participate in it. Many emarketplaces also charge a nominal fee for each trade made using their facilities. Other costs involved, that you should consider, are internal workforce needed to handle business via emarketplace, catalog integration and maintaining, etc. In any case, the cost of doing business through emarketplaces is negligible for most businesses compare to the gains they make. Get your partners involved If you just build a corporate website and don't spend required time and money to promote, it won't bring any business. Same goes for emarketplace! Mere participation in an emarketplace also will not produce any significant benefit if you don't convince your existing buyers and suppliers to work with you through your chosen emarketplace. Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com. He has Ph. D. degree in Information Technology. Dr. Kabir has over 12 years of experience in International Trade and has worked as an advisor to several government projects. You can contact him at mailto:nowshade[at]rusbiz.com, http://ezine.rusbiz.com, http://www.rusbiz.com
MORE RESOURCES:
ICC WORLDWIDE ANNOUNCES SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF ITS ICC BLUE ... - World Stock Wire (press release)
Ecommerce - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
5 Tips for Online Shopping Shopping online has become more and more popular in America as we are all looking to save a little time and money. E-commerce sales are growing at astronomical numbers ranging from 20-25% per year. Choosing an Ecommerce Shopping Cart Choosing an online shopping cart is a big decision. Unlike a traditional brick and mortar business, your website is your only chance to impress potential customers. How Do You Make Money Online? If you learn how other people make money online, I mean really study how it's done and ask a lot of questions, there is no reason in the world you cannot make money on the internet as well.How do people make money with websites? There are literally tens of thousands of things people make money on from the net. What is SSL (the little padlock)? SSL ("Secured Socket Layer") is a protocol used to encrypt the communication between the user's browser and the web server. When SSL is active, a "little padlock" appears on the user's browser, usually in the status line at the bottom (at the top for Mac/Safari users. The Census and the E-Commerce Wave Understanding business and product sales can sometimes put me in a whirlwind. My job tends to get me involved with loads of different opportunities dealing with all sorts of product lines. How To Sell Websites Fast ! This article will explain in depth the steps needed to sell your website fast in today's marketplace.Step 1 Establish a Reasonable Price for Your SiteHow Much Can I Get?Before you sell, it's a good idea to know how much the domain is worth. Keep Your Customers Happy by Organizing Your Payment Options Anyone using a slow, or an awkward payment processor had better wake up!There are some very slick ways to transfer money around the globe, in todays, lightning fast world, both your customers and your suppliers demand payment in the click of a mouse.The processing companies have been fiercely competing with each other for years now, every so often, they revamp and recalibrate. Shopping Cart Abandonment - Discover 5 Things you can do to Lower Cart Abandonment A common frustration among merchants who sell online via a shopping cart is the percentage of people who abandon their cart and leave the site never to return. This is known as the shopping cart abandonment rate. Bringing the World to Your Door According to Internet.com, by the year 2008 nearly 30% of offline purchases will be influenced by online research. Shopping from Your Cell Phone with Froogle Wireless Many surfers already know about Froogle, Google's shopping portal that is still in beta testing. Google has now expanded their Froogle service so that it is available on WML-enabled cellular phones. Online Payments Make It Easy For Your Customers To Buy In the last column we discussed the process of credit card enabling your brick-and-mortar business. I pointed out that research has shown that accepting credit cards can help increase revenue and speed up cash flow. Coupons & Rebates Yes, it's true, coupons are not just for newspapers anymore. Not to be a downer, but I personally hate the things. Implications Of E-Commerce For Tax Legislation As e-commerce develops ambiguities in the current tax code in which it may be exposed. It would not be regarded as too early to take premature steps for undertaking such a review at a time when detailed international legislation are going on to promulgate acceptable standards laws for imposition taxation in this regard. Website Marketing: 10 Resourceful Things You Can Do With A Product That Doesnt Sell Do you have any product that has not been moving well?Would you like to learn what to do with it?Here are website marketing secrets to help you:1. Sell the reprint/reproduction rights to the product. Dont Get Ripped Off Getting A Merchant Account Far too many people get ripped off when setting up a merchant account for their online business. The biggest reason is that they don't understand their options and are intimidated by the whole process. The Secret Science Of Online Shopping In theory you could create a retail web site with a limitless selection; an online store where every kind of merchandise known to man could be sold. Would people be interested in buying from such a huge enterprise?Why do people buy online?Location: You can shop online from almost anywhere as long as you have access to a power supply and a telephone connection. Getting Started: Creating a Business Plan You're excited. You have a great idea for a profitable online business. Cost Effective Ecommerce Solutions Ecommerce use to be about spending thousands of dollars on setting up your shop and hundreds of dollars on getting a merchant. My, how things have changed over the years. Maximize Your Froogling for Increased Website Profits Are you familiar with Froogle? If you are an online merchant, you certainly should be.Froogle is Google's product search engine and was launched as a "beta product" in December 2002. Government Buying and Selling on the Internet Global Insight, a leading economic and financial forecasting company, (formerly DRI-WEFA), states that all levels of government (federal, state, and local) should see steady increases in the purchases of goods and services through the year 2009.Vendors willing to make the commitment to sell to government can reap the benefits of this projected government spending.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
