B2B (Business to Business, B2B), that is, business to business. It is a new business model, which refers to the mode in which different enterprises use a dedicated network to exchange and transmit data information and carry out trading activities.
B2B closely links the products and services of different enterprises with customers, and uses the immediacy and speed of the network to improve customer satisfaction with services, thereby promoting the development of enterprises.
In this model, enterprises usually publish advertisements and information online, and conduct transactions and customs clearance offline. In essence, it still belongs to traditional trade and has been included in the customs trade statistics.
Another type of online B2B transaction is represented by Dunhuang.com. Chinese manufacturers and wholesalers use this platform to directly send goods to small and medium-sized retailers in other countries in small batches and multiple times. It is an online B2B transaction developed on the basis of traditional B2B information matching.
B2B trade websites are extremely important platforms for the exchange of products, services and information between enterprises in current international trade. With the continuous development and growth of online marketing, B2B websites are becoming more and more important in e-commerce. Major global B2B platforms play a vital role in the development of online marketing in international trade.
International trade is developing in full swing, and B2B trade websites are also springing up like mushrooms after rain. At present, the B2B trade websites with a large number of users in the world are mainly the following.
1. Global Sources Enterprise Network
The price of using Global Sources is slightly higher than that of other B2B trade websites. Usually, the annual fee for enterprises to join is between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan. The publicity channels of Global Sources are mainly exhibitions, magazines, CDs, etc., and the industries it is good at are electronic products and gifts.
The customer base of Global Sources is mainly large enterprises. It has strict auditing of buyers, and large orders account for the majority of its orders.
2. Alibaba International Station
Alibaba International Station is the largest B2B platform with a relatively high renewal rate. The Chinese suppliers on this platform are mainly small and medium-sized enterprises. Alibaba International Station allows buyers to send inquiries in bulk, so there is fierce price competition among sellers, and the profit of completed orders will be low.
3. Made-in-China.com
Made-in-China.com mainly relies on word of mouth at home and abroad, with less advertising and good search engine optimization. The inquiries from Made-in-China.com are commendable in B2B platforms in terms of quality and quantity, and are suitable for small businesses.
4.ECVV website
ECVV is a B2B platform that pays for results. After exporters use ECVV’s “pay for results” service, they only need to pay after receiving valid inquiries through the ECVV website.
ECVV website only charges valid inquiries after exporters have independently screened, so exporters can judge whether the export goods are valid inquiries based on the large number of inquiries received from buyers.
5. Dunhuang.com
DHgate is an emerging B2B platform mainly for Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises. Exporters need to pay an annual fee of 999 yuan to register on DHgate. Each store can publish 2,000 products, and a company can open up to 10 stores. After purchasing goods, foreign merchants first pay DHgate with PayPal or credit card. DHgate notifies the exporter to ship the goods. After the foreign merchant receives the goods and inspects them, DHgate will then release the money to the exporter.
During the transaction, DHgate will charge buyers a transaction fee of 10% to 19% based on different categories. Because DHgate has established a complete risk control system based on buyers’ transaction data, it has greatly reduced the occurrence of foreign trade fraud and other situations.
Among the dazzling B2B trade websites, how to choose the most suitable website is undoubtedly an issue that export companies must consider. Most exporters believe that they should choose the B2B trade websites with the highest reputation, the best brand, and the largest traffic. This is actually a misunderstanding. In many cases, the best is not necessarily the most suitable. When choosing a B2B trade website, the following three factors should be analyzed.
(1) Analyze website traffic. In today’s world of rapid Internet development, the success of a website depends on its effective traffic and conversion rate, and B2B trade websites are no exception.
When choosing a B2B trade website, the first thing to look at is its effective traffic. The greater the effective traffic, the more users it has, and the greater the opportunities for export companies; the second thing to look at is its conversion rate. Only B2B trade websites with high conversion rates can convert as much effective traffic as possible into commercial resources.
(2) Analyze the source of traffic. A successful website = effective traffic x conversion rate. This formula uses “effective traffic” instead of “traffic.” From the perspective of export companies, if the overall traffic of a B2B trade website is very large, but the effective traffic for the export company’s products is not high, it will not help. Therefore, the source of traffic for B2B trade websites is very important.
As a world-class B2B trade website, Alibaba International Station’s traffic mainly comes from China, India, Iran, the United States and other countries. According to statistics, Alibaba International Station’s main traffic comes from Google, that is, its English promotion is mainly focused on Google.
If the export destination of an export enterprise’s products is India, Iran or the United States, then Alibaba International Station is a good choice for the enterprise. However, if the export enterprise’s products are mainly exported to Africa, Europe and Latin America, then Alibaba International Station with huge traffic may not be a suitable choice. At this time, the export enterprise should choose a B2B trade website whose main business matches its export direction.
(3) Analyze the preferences of users in a specific country for B2B trade websites. Exporters should not only understand which B2B trade websites are suitable for them, but also understand which B2B trade websites their target customers are accustomed to using. Only by achieving two-way understanding can the number of foreign trade orders be increased.
Taking Alibaba International Station as an example, a direct search on Google shows that the main traffic of Alibaba International Station comes from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran and Chile.
From another perspective, if the export enterprise has more trade exchanges with the above countries, then the possibility of finding customers on Alibaba International Station is much greater than other B2B trade websites, and vice versa.