The business-to-business portal trend is nothing new, but advances in technology are actually changing how they work. Additional digital commerce capabilities and branding have replaced traditional outreach methods to connect with targeted buyers or sellers.
The development of digital technology has changed the horizons of business and financial sectors around the world. Consumers no longer buy the same way, and businesses no longer sell the same way. Competition is fierce, and demand and supply are changing daily. New market demands have brought new technologies and online quality business solutions. Where there are customers who want to buy, there are companies who offer to sell something. But for the B2B industry, there is another type of relationship that exists between two businesses entities rather than the end customer or consumer. As according to research, B2B marketing statistics show 47% importance. Another study shows about 80% of B2Bb business purchases are impacted by a client’s consumer experience.
Below are some of the fastest-growing global B2B platforms that have helped thousands of businesses worldwide grow and expand their reach to international and local customers.
5 B2B Platforms
Alibaba
Alibaba Group is a Hangzhou-based Chinese private consortium dedicated to Internet e-commerce, including B2B, retail and consumer sales portals. It also offers price comparison engines, online payment services, and cloud data storage services. In 2012, the two Alibaba portals combined handled 1.1 trillion yuan ($170 billion) in sales. That’s more than rivals’ eBay and Amazon.com combined.
The company first operates in the People’s Republic of China, and in March 2013, The Economist estimated that the consortium’s valuation could go from $55 billion to a $120 billion increase. With 2013 sales of approximately $7.5 billion, the company employs approximately 22,000 people as of March 2014. Recently in the list of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Alibaba is one of the largest online B2B platforms in the world, with over 35 million users. According to the company profile posted on the company’s website, there are ten affiliates. AAliExpress, Alimama, Aliyun, Alipay and China Smart Logistics alibaba International, Alibaba China, Taobao, Tmall, Juhuasuan.
DHGate
DHgate is a B2B platform that enables importers around the world to purchase small quantities of Chinese products at wholesale prices. You can find electronics, clothing, decorations, sports accessories and more. DHGate sells over 30 million products to 227 countries worldwide. Worldwide has over 5 million customers and is currently one of the 2,100 most visited sites on the Internet.
DHgate has been accused of being a fraudulent site in the past, but all accusations have since been dispelled as the portal’s rise to fame. Like Amazon and eBay, it is also a global vendor market. Furthermore,1 million Chinese suppliers used this portal. DHgate.com monitors vendors closely and does not take fraudulent behaviour lightly. However, there is no guarantee that all providers are legit.
Some of DHgate’s suppliers offer products with CE, RoHS, and FCC certificates. The easiest way to avoid non-certified products is to enter the product name and certification standard in the search box. Individual products in the United States and European Union must comply with specific standards such as FCC, CE, and EN71.
Global Source
The world considers it one of the first B2B platforms listed on NASDAQ under the name GSOL. The B2B platform is known for quality suppliers in various industries. Moreover, many Chinese manufacturers choose to pay a hefty fee to become a verified supplier on this portal.
Founded in Singapore in 2000, Global Sources facilitates international trade with a focus on bringing traders around the world closer together.
Similar to Alibaba, Globalsources.com is a directory of mainly Chinese manufacturers and suppliers to facilitate B2B e-commerce. The platform developed in Hong Kong and linked to international trade fairs attended by the most reputable manufacturers, suppliers and traders from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
EWorldTrade
EWorldTrade is a new, rapidly growing online B2B website that creates new and improved ways for buyers and sellers to contact each other.
The B2B site is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with all major operations managed in Karachi, Pakistan. It is now part of CPEC to establish better trade relations between Pakistan and China. Firstly, the main purpose of this website is to help Chinese suppliers, distributors and manufacturers reach potential audiences. The global online B2B platform falls in one of the fastest-growing online marketplaces, with thousands of sellers, distributors, suppliers, manufacturers and providers registering every day and reaching potential worldwide to meet potential customers.
Secondly, with thousands of manufacturers from different cities and countries registering on the site every day. Therefore, it is foreseeable that this platform will become a big competitor to all the other Business-2-Business platforms. EWorldTrade offers everyone the opportunity to become a reseller of a wide variety of products and services. It has proven beneficial for Chinese SMEs and manufacturers wishing to globalize their business.
EC Plaza
Another Korean e-commerce website in South Korea, ecplaza, has launched in four languages.
English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It is one of the fastest-growing B2B websites in South Korea. ECplaza.net started as a B2B commerce portal in 1996, and EC Plaza has grown to become the #1 online commerce platform providing online and offline services to over 400,000 members. This online B2B platform not only operates B2B websites, trade consulting, EDI services, etc. but also provides offline trade-related services for SMEs based on export marketing. With our worldwide network and strong brand recognition, we are expanding our business into the global market by providing great value, such as increased business opportunities, reduced costs, and convenience.
With over 4 million offers published on our website, this is the largest in the world. Also, our B2B site is included in the top-level list of major ranking platforms such as Rankey, Alexa, and 100 HOTS.
Conclusion
Simply put, B2B e-commerce, also known as wholesale e-commerce, is e-commerce between business customers rather than between businesses and consumers (B2C).
The benefits of B2B e-commerce software solutions offer sellers many distinct benefits, including the ability to reach an entirely new subset of customers (companies), streamline the sales process to make your business more efficient and profitable, and leverage big data. Moreover, if you are looking for B2B-related services at affordable prices, then get in touch with Sky Potentials.
