B2B eCommerce : basics, business models and best practices in business-to-business online trade

This book is a translation of the original German edition "B2B eCommerce " by Heinemann, Gerrit, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH in 2020. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Preface Contents About the Author Abbreviations 1: B2B eCommerce Specification 1.1 B2B versus B2C eCommerce 1.2 Digital B2B Universe 1.3 Types of Suppliers and Sales in B2B eCommerce 1.4 Types of Customers and Users in B2B eCommerce 1.5 Digital Maturity Levels and Barriers in B2B eCommerce 1.6 Truth and Fiction in Digital Infrastructure 2: Basics of B2B eCommerce 2.1 Digital Basics of B2B eCommerce 2.1.1 Physical Versus Virtual Value Creation 2.1.2 Phases of Digitization 2.1.3 EDI Versus Industry 4.0 Versus B2B eCommerce 2.1.4 Platform Economy in B2B eCommerce 2.1.5 Growth Factors of the B2B Platform Economy 2.1.6 Forms of Operation in B2B eCommerce 2.2 Business Types of B2B eCommerce 2.2.1 Project Business in B2B eCommerce 2.2.2 Supplier Business in B2B eCommerce 2.2.3 System Business in B2B eCommerce 2.2.4 Industrial Goods Business in B2B eCommerce 2.2.5 Consumer Goods Business in B2B eCommerce 2.2.6 Integration Business in B2B eCommerce 2.3 Customer Interaction in B2B eCommerce 2.3.1 Purchase Phases and Conversion in B2B eCommerce 2.3.2 Selling Center Versus Buying Center 2.3.3 Onsite Versus Offsite Customer Interaction 2.3.4 Upstream Versus Downstream Customer Interaction 2.3.5 Customer Journey in B2B eCommerce 2.3.6 Transaction Behavior in B2B eCommerce Using the Example of Domain Sales 2.4 Marketing and Sales in B2B eCommerce 2.4.1 Marketing Policy and CRM in B2B eCommerce 2.4.2 Sales, New Purchases and Repurchases in B2B eCommerce 2.4.3 Shop Design and Usability in B2B eCommerce 2.4.4 Conversion and Shop Productivity in B2B eCommerce 2.4.5 Login, Purchase Completion and Check-Out in B2B eCommerce 2.4.6 System Strategy and Shop Selection in B2B eCommerce 2.5 Customer Centricity as a Basic Requirement for Online Retailing 3: Business Models in B2B eCommerce 3.1 Business Models in the B2B Consumer Goods Business 3.1.1 The Digital Universe of Consumer Goods Manufacturers 3.1.2 B2B eCommerce for Consumer Goods as a Digital Ecosystem 3.1.3 Five Conditions for B2B Consumer Goods Transactions 3.1.4 Multi-channel Distribution as the Basis of B2B2C Commerce 3.1.5 Future B2B eCommerce for Consumer Goods as B2Me 3.2 Business Models in the B2B Industrial Goods Business 3.2.1 Consumerization in B2B Industrial Goods Business 3.2.2 Derivative Demand in B2B Industrial Goods Business 3.2.3 Digital Marketing and Brand in B2B Industrial Goods Business 3.2.4 Digital Content for Industrial Goods Fairs 3.2.5 Future B2B eCommerce for Industrial Goods 3.3 Business Models in the B2B Supply Business 3.3.1 B2B Supply Pyramid and OEM as Customer 3.3.2 B2B Suppliers and Outsourcing 3.3.3 Service Providers as Suppliers of Services 3.3.4 B2B in Sourcing and eSourcing 3.3.5 B2B Customer Acquisition of PLMs 3.4 Business Models in the B2B Systems Business 3.4.1 B2B Systems Business as Systems Selling 3.4.2 Demand-side Connectivity in the B2B Systems Business 3.4.3 OEM as A Business Model in the B2B Systems Business 3.4.4 Value Factors and Brand Management in the B2B Systems Business 3.4.5 Cloud Computing Commerce in B2B Systems Business 3.5 Business Models in the B2B Project Business 3.5.1 Phase-Related eCommerce in B2B Project Business 3.5.2 New Purchasing Requirements in B2B Project Business 3.5.3 Pricing Leverage and Value Selling in B2B Project Business 3.5.4 Online Configurator and Multi-channeling in B2B Project Business 3.5.5 General Contractors and Consortia in B2B Project Business 3.6 Integration Business as a Value-Adding Approach in B2B 4: Best Practices in B2B eCommerce 4.1 Best Practices in the B2B Consumer Goods Business 4.2 Best Practices in B2B Industrial Goods Business 4.3 Best Practices in B2B Supply Business 4.4 Best Practices in B2B Systems Business 4.5 Best Practices in B2B Project Business 4.6 Best Practices in B2B Integration Business 5: Risks in B2B eCommerce 5.1 Legal Risks in Online Trading 5.1.1 Login and Identification of B2B 5.1.2 The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 5.2 Business Risks in B2B eCommerce 5.2.1 Risk of Lack of Business Planning 5.2.2 Lack of Digital Readiness 5.3 The Myths of B2B eCommerce References This textbook covers the basics of business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce, where similar principles of customer targeting can be observed as in B2C eCommerce. Gerrit Heinemann highlights the specifics and business models of B2B eCommerce, analyzes the digital challenges and shows the consequences and opportunities for online sales in B2B. Recognised best-practice examples illustrate how successful B2B eCommerce can work and which risks have to be considered. The content ̈ Basics of B2B eCommerce ̈ Special features of B2B eCommerce ̈ Business models in B2B eCommerce ̈ Best Practices in B2B eCommerce ̈ Risks in B2B eCommerce The author Prof. Dr. Gerrit Heinemann is Professor of Business Administration, Management and Commerce and Head of the eweb Research Center at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. This book is a translation of an original German edition. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation