Results and Analysis

Latest Trends

There is a new trend of social B2B hubs, where manufacturers and suppliers can sign up for free. Also, the online B2B marketplaces are becoming more and more innovative. They are changing their offerings and are even trading services along with tangible commodities and products. Some are coming up with offerings specifically for small retailers and competing in a niche segment. Some websites have emerged merely as supplier directories or yellow pages. But they add value by doing a background check of the suppliers and then listing them.

Emergence of China, south Korea and Taiwan as the manufacturing hubs of the world have seen a very fast growth of Asian E hubs in the last decade. 6 of the top ten B2B E marketplaces are Chinese. In fact, the largest B2B marketplace today is - Alibaba.com, which is a Chinese company, has more than 79 million registered users and has a reach in 240 countries around the world. Even though India is not a manufacturing hub, due to its strong IT entrepreneurship initiatives, there are 2 Indian firms that feature in the top 10 B2B marketplaces in the world.

Rank	Name	Location	Languages	Business Type
1	Alibaba	China	English, Chinese, Japanese	B2B
2	Manta	USA	English	Yellow Pages
3	Made In China	China	English, Chinese, Taiwanese	B2B
4	India Mart	India	English	B2B
5	DHgate	China	English	Wholesaler
6	EC21	Korea	English, Chinese, Korean	B2B
7	Globalsources	China	Chinese, English	B2B
8	Trade India	India	English	B2B
9	DIY Trade	China	English, Chinese	B2B
10	Toocle.com	China	Chinese, English, Korean	B2B

Another classification of the B2B marketplaces can be:

1. Subscription based B2B hubs - the clients have to register and pay a fee for the service

2. Yellow pages/Supplier directories

3. Social Hubs - the clients can sign up for free

List of B2B marketplaces/social hubs/directories:

B2B Marketplaces:

1         The largest B2B hub in the world: http://www.alibaba.com/

2         Ariba: http://www.ariba.com/

3         Made in China: http://www.made-in-china.com/

4         India Mart: http://www.indiamart.com/

5         Perfect Commerce: http://www.perfect.com/ (Previously “Commerce One”)

6         DHgate: http://www.dhgate.com/ (Wholesale hub - specially designed for small retailers)

7         EC21: http://www.ec21.com/ (global marketplace)

8         DIY Trade: http://www.diytrade.com/ (Chinese firm)

9         Trade India: http://www.tradeindia.com/

10     Trading Circle of manufacturers and suppliers around global buyers: http://www.toocle.com/

Social Hubs:

1         TATA’s latest venture: https://www.tatab2b.com/

2         Bizdaa: http://www.bizdaa.com/

Yellow pages/Supplier directories:

1         Manta: http://www.manta.com/

2         Global Sources: http://www.globalsources.com/

3         Global Market: http://www.globalmarket.com/