B2B marketplaces and trade portals are gaining in popularity thanks to the surge in global trading and internet user by businesses
. In this article, you will learn about the features of these websites and how it can help you expand to new markets.
B2B signifies any "Business to Business" transaction or communication between companies.
Furthermore, B2B marketplaces are online tools that help importers and exporters to buy and sell with new business partners. The heart of any B2B marketplace is its search engine which allows its users to post trade leads to the entire internet community.
For years, the leader in this industry has been Alibaba.com thanks to growing influence of China on the global trade scene. This country has been referred to as the factory to the world. This B2B marketplace was created a little over 10 year ago with a strong vision from its founder Jack Ma. It has since expanded to pursuing a more global approach and becoming the largest B2B marketplace worldwide.
A newer B2B marketplace that has come to the market is Tradekey.com. They have managed to have a strong hold on the market thanks to good customer service and overall good website design. Definitely a portal to look out for.
Mercatrade.com has a different concept than other B2B marketplaces. It has a strong focus on the Latin American and Caribbean markets. This region is a new emergent market that is getting a lot of investment and possesses endless business opportunities for companies to expand their global sales. This region alone represents over 40 countries with 610 million people. Mercatrade.com holds a strong position where Alibaba and Tradekey have weaknesses which is the Spanish markets of Latin America. My prediction is that they will probably be bought in the near future by one of the giants in the B2B field.
You can clearly see that B2B marketplaces are necessary tools for importers and exporters looking to increase their global sales.