MARKET ANALYSIS OF E-COMMERCE B2B PORTAL

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements

For the award of the degree of
MASTER of BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
IN
SOFTWARE ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT
(COURSE CODE: 099)
Under the guidance of
Mr. RAVI SHANKAR RAI (FACULTY & PROJECT GUIDE, C-DAC)
Submitted By
ROBIN VARSHNEY
(00211809913)

CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED COMPUTING, NOIDA

AFFILIATED TO

GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY (GGSIPU)

Dwarka, Delhi 110078

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Report titled MARKET ANALYSIS OF E-COMMERCE B2B
PORTAL which is submitted by ROBIN VARSHNEY (00211809913) in the partial
fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of MBA(Software Enterprise
Management),to GGSIP University, Dwarka, Delhi is a record of the candidates own work
carried out by her under my supervision. The matter embodied in this report is original and has
not been submitted for the award of any other degree.

DATE:

_______________________
Mr RAVI SHANKAR RAI

DECLARATION
This is to certify that Report titled MARKET ANALYSIS OF E-COMMERCE B2B
PORTAL which is submitted by me in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of
the degree of MBA-(Software Enterprise Management), to GGSIP University, Dwarka, Delhi
comprises only my original work and due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all
other material used.

NAME:

ROBIN VARSHNEY

____________________

ENROLLMENT NO: 00211809913

SEMESTER:

Signature of the student

rd

3 SEMESTER

DATE:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My sincere thanks & gratitude is due to Mr. RAVI SHANKAR RAI, Project Guide for his
valuable guidance during the course of minor project work on MARKET ANALYIS OF
E-COMMERCE B2B PORTAL in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the
degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN SOFTWARE ENTERPRISE
MANAGEMENT.
I am very thankful to Mrs. Mary Jacintha, Head of department of MBA (SEM) for approving
my project work, timely encouragement & supervision.
Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for their help & cooperation in project work,
typing/editing of the project report.

ROBIN VARSHNEY
MBA (SEM)
BATCH: 2013-2015
00211809913

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTERS.
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PAGE NO.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)

INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THE PROJECT
OBJECTIVE
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
ABOUT E-COMMERCE
BUSINESS MODELS OF E-COMMERCE
LIST OF EXISTING E-COMMERCE B2B PORTALS
MODEL OF THE PROJECT

3
10
12
13

DATA COLLECTION
DATA ANALYSIS
SWOT ANALYSIS
CONCLUSION
LIMITATIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS

14
15
16
18
19
20

1
2
2

REFERENCES
21
22

APPENDICES

LIST OF TABLES
S no.

Tables Details

Page No.

1.

Difference Between ECommerce And Traditional

Commerce Basis ECommerce Traditional System

2.

EBusiness And ECommerce

(i)

LIST OF FIGURES
S.No

Figure Details

Page No.

1.

Figure of E-Commerce B2b Model Of This Project.

13

2.

Analysis of Distributor Response.

15

3.

Analysis of Retailer Response.

16

(ii)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The project aims to do an analysis the B2B type of e-commerce portal of stationary items. As
well as to analysis the perception of manufacturer/distributor and retailers towards the online
portal.

This includes:

Analyzing the B2B ecommerce portals.

Preparing questioner for Manufacture\Supplier as well as retailer of stationary items.

Gathered responses to gain a fine insight into the market activities for stationary items.

Analyzing the response generated to check the feasibility of undertaking the project.

Nowadays there are many Ecommerce B2B portals but there is no as such B2B portal
exclusively for stationary items exist.
E-commerce B2B portal provide a market space for retailer and the manufacturer/distributor
where trading partner can trade with retailers and manufacturer/distributor for the stationary
item.
Therefore a need arises to check the feasibility of carrying out this project.

(iii)

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Business-to-business (B2B) describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as
between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer. Contrasting
terms are business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-government (B2G). B2B branding is a
term used in marketing.
The overall volume of B2B (Business-to-Business) transactions is much higher than the volume
of B2C transactions. The primary reason for this is that in a typical supply chain there will be
many B2B transactions involving sub components or raw materials, and only one B2C
transaction, specifically sale of the finished product to the end customer. For example, an
automobile manufacturer makes several B2B transactions such as buying tires, glass for
windscreens, and rubber hoses for its vehicles. The final transaction, a finished vehicle sold to
the consumer, is a single (B2C) transaction.
B2B is also used in the context of communication and collaboration. Many businesses are now
using social media to connect with their consumers (B2C); however, they are now using similar
tools within the business so employees can connect with one another. When communication is
taking place amongst employees, this can be referred to as "B2B" communication.
ECommerce is a latest technology related with commerce and computer. Commerce is the
exchange or transformation or buying and selling of entities (goods or commodities) on a very
large scale involving transportation from one place to another. [Webster]E Commerce is the
process of doing business online. Or we can say that Ecommerce is to conduct business by using
the IT (Information technology, i.e., computer technology and electronic communication) it is
the buying and selling of items or goods or services on the Web using electronic communication
and digital information processing technology.EDI or Electronic Data Interchange is an early
form of ecommerce. Its high cost, use of proprietary standards etc. hampered the spread of e
commerce.
Ecommerce is the process of doing business electronically. It changes the entire business
scenario due to the powerful innovation of Internet, which is spreading fast through the world.
The power of Internet as a global access was felt with the introduction of the World Wide Web
(WWW) in 1994. This global network makes global relations with the companies made easier. It
is predicted that, in the near future the digital economy will overtake the traditional economy of
all developed countries.
Ecommerce is a composite of technologies process and business strategies that foster the instant
exchange of information within between organization. Ecommerce strengthens relationship with
buyers make it easier to attract new customer, improves customer responsiveness and open new
markets on a global scale. Ecommerce is the application of various communication technologies
to provide the automated exchange of business information with internal and external customer,
suppliers and financial institutions.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of this project is to analysis the b2b type of e-commerce portal of stationary
items. As well as to analysis the perception of manufacture/suppliers and retailers towards
the online portal .

Business-to-business (B2B) describes commerce transactions between businesses, such

as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer.

Commerce is the exchange or transformation or buying and selling of entities (goods or

commodities) on a very large scale involving transportation from one place to another. E
Commerce is the process of doing business online. Or we can say that Ecommerce is to
conduct business by using the IT (Information technology, i.e., computer technology and
electronic communication) it is the buying and selling of items or goods or services on
the Web using electronic communication and digital information processing technology.

SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

Analyzing the B2B ecommerce portals.

Preparing questioner for Manufacture\Supplier as well as retailer of stationary items.

Gathered responses to gain a fine insight into the market activities for stationary items.

Analyzing the response generated to check the feasibility of undertaking the project.

OUTLINE OF THE PROJECT REPORT

This project is based on B2B e-commerce model. Here manufacture or supplier give business
in the form of stationary items to the retailers. E-commerce portal gives the market space
where manufacture/supplier interacts to their customers. This B2B E-commerce portal will
act as an intermediary between manufacture/suppliers and the retailers.
ADVANTAGES AS FOLLOWS:
This ecommerce portal would be the first ecommerce portal exclusively for the sale of
stationary items to the retailers.
Retailers will have an option of doing business with the supplier /manufacture of their
own wish.
Intermediary will get an opportunity to increase their revenue from retailers as well as
manufactures/suppliers.
Doing business online is always time saving.
Retailers can connect to manufacture/supplier 24x7.
Retailers can compare one supplier prices with other suppliers listed price at the same
portal.
10

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
ECommerce is a latest technology related with commerce and computer. Commerce is the
exchange or transformation or buying and selling of entities (goods or commodities) on a very
large scale involving transportation from one place to another. [Webster]E Commerce is the
process of doing business online. Or we can say that Ecommerce is to conduct business by using
the IT (Information technology, i.e., computer technology and electronic communication) it is
the buying and selling of items or goods or services on the Web using electronic communication
and digital information processing technology.EDI or Electronic Data Interchange is an early
form of ecommerce. Its high cost, use of proprietary standards etc. hampered the spread of e
commerce.
Ecommerce is the process of doing business electronic. It changes the entire business scenario
due to the powerful innovation of Internet, which is spreading fast through the world. The power
of Internet as a global access was felt with the introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW) in
1994. This global network makes global relations with the companies made easier. It is predicted
that, in the near future the digital economy will overtake the traditional economy of all developed
countries.
Ecommerce is a composite of technologies process and business strategies that foster the instant
exchange of information within between organization. Ecommerce strengthens relationship with
buyers make it easier to attract new customer, improves customer responsiveness and open new
markets on a global scale. Ecommerce is the application of various communication technologies
to provide the automated exchange of business information with internal and external customer,
suppliers and financial institutions.

Ecommerce V/s Traditional Commerce

Ecommerce is an extension of traditional commerce, which is concerned with the
activities of business, industry and trade including the exchange of goods, services, information
and money. It has the same essential ingredients of ordinary commerce. The major difference
between ecommerce and commerce is that with ecommerce, these exchanges of goods and
services are carried out over the web instead t of the traditional physical act of going to a trader
for goods and services. Now that a large number of people have access to the internet and it is a
good platform for the development of ecommerce. Successful Ecommerce strategies allow
organizations distinct advantages in terms of both cost and revenues the fundamentals of all
business. This is because cost can be cut immensely as retail outlets are not required. Most of the
cost associated with traditional high capital business is eliminated and or transformed into profit
in the Internet environment.

11

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ECOMMERCE AND TRADITIONAL

COMMERCE BASIS ECOMMERCE TRADITIONAL SYSTEM
1.

BASIS
Reduce Data Error

E-COMMERCE
Doesnt involve data at multi
points. Data goes directly from
one computer to another Computer
without involving human being.

2.

Reduce cost

Initial cost of Ecommerce is very

high as compared to paper process
but over a long period of time, it is
very effective.

3.

Reduce Paper work

Ecommerce data in the electronic

form make it easy to share it
across the organization.

4.

Reduce Processing
cycle time

Ecommerce
reduces
the
processing cycle time of complete
cycles as the data is entered the
system, it is simultaneously
Processed.

5.

Reduce labour

No need to maintain large number

of employees, instead there arises
the need to manage them more
efficiently.

12

TRADITIONAL SYSTEM
The buyer and seller create
purchase order on their system
and send it to their trading
partner. The receiver/seller
then
reenter
the
same
information on the computer,
which will create data error.
Time is directly linked to
saving the money. There is
repetition of same work at
every level and it involves a lot
of wastage of time and if the
error is arisen that will lead to
more wastage of money.
It requires reentry of data at
each level and requires lot of
time. So the peak time is
wasted in re entering and
printing of the reports
When the buyer order in a
paper format, the data is re
entered in to the Sellerss
computer and then only
processing can take place
which is a time consuming
process.
Need to maintain a large
number of employees because
onethird of labour force is
employed to fulfil orders from
customers.

EBusiness and Ecommerce

Internationally both the terms can be interchanged and having the same concepts, that is , doing
business online. However, EB is the term which is derived from ecommerce. However there is
little difference between these two concepts. Electronic commerce is a business to business
[B2B] initiative aimed at communicating business transaction documents on a real time or near
real time basis between known trading partners such as suppliers, customers etc. Ecommerce
might be considered as the use of the Internet as a companys primary or exclusive portal to its
customers. Amazon or ebay conducts all of their business online and their products and services
are exclusively those which can be sold online.
On the other side ebusiness refers to companies for which internet is one of several channels to
customers and perhaps not even the primary one. Banks are a classic example, as are companies,
which have internet storefronts. But all such entities have other primary channels to distribute
their products. The main distinctions between Ecommerce and EBusiness are

ECommerce

EBusiness

Open system [statistics]

Not secured
Deals more with technology

Closed System
Secured
Deals with processes needed to facilitate
ecommerce
Used EDI
Always operates on intranet
Involves explicitly business transactions
Focused more on business to business activitie
ebusiness is an online business only

Does not involve the use of EDI

Always operate on Internet
Involves all types of commerce transaction
Focused on Business to consumer activities
ecommerce is an extension of a traditional
business model

History of Ecommerce
Most people dont realize that ecommerce and its underlying technology have been around for
about forty years. The term ecommerce was originally conceived top describe the process of
conducting business transactions electronically using technology from the Electronic Data
Interchange [EDI] and Electronic Funds Transfer [EFT].EDI is widely viewed as the beginning
of Ecommerce. Large organizations have been investing in development of EDI since sixties. It
has not gained reasonable acceptance until eighties. EDI is a set of standards developed in the
1960s to exchange business information and do electronic transactions. At first there were
several different EDI formats that business could use, so companies still might not be able to
interact with each other. Electronic Data interchange [EDI] allowed different companies to
perform electronic dealings with one another.

13

The internet was conceived in 1969, when the Advanced Research Projects Agency [a
Department of Defense Organization] funded research of computer networking. The Internet
could end up like EDI without the emergence of World Wide Web in 1990s.The web became a
popular mainstream medium (perceived as the fourth mainstream medium in addition to print,
radio and TC) in a speed, which had never seen before. The web users and contents were
increasing at an accelerated rate. Besides the availability of technical infrastructures, the
popularity of the web is largely attributed to the low cost access and simplicity of HTML
authoring, which are the obstacles of EDI Development. The Internet and the Web have
overcome the technical difficulty of EDI, but it has not solved the problem of slow development
of Ecommerce standards.
XML, as a Meta Markup Language, provides a development tool for defining format of data
interchange in a wide variety of business communities. Web services offer a flexible and
effective architecture for the implementation. There is no doubt that XML and the web services
will shape the course of Ecommerce in the years to come.
The next important phase in the History of Ecommerce was the development of Mosaic Web
browser in 1992.The Web Browser was soon given the form of a browser which could be
downloaded and was named as Netscape.
The next important milestone in ecommerce was the development of Napster. Napster was an
online application used to share music files for free. Many consumers used the site and were
dictating what they wanted from the Industry. Napster allowed people to download music from
the Internet for free.
The development and adaptation of DSL and Red hat Linux respectively, again benefited the
process of online business transaction. The year 2000, saw a major merge between AOL and
Time Warner which marked another important step towards the development of Ecommerce.
The World wide popularity of Internet has resulted in the stable development and overwhelming
acceptance of ECommerce. ECommerce provides with a rich online transaction experience.
Business to Business is the largest ECommerce in the present time. Peer to Peer and Consumer
to Consumer are two important types of ECommerce.

Importance, features and benefits of Ecommerce:

Importance of Ecommerce:
Through, Ecommerce, operating efficiency of the business firm will definitely improve and
which in turn strengthen the value and service given to customers and provide a competitive
edge over competitors. These improvements may result in more effective performance. The
direct benefit accrue to an organization on practicing ecommerce are better quality, greater
customer satisfaction, better decision making, low cost, high speed and real time interaction.
More specifically ecommerce enables executing of information relating to the transaction
between two or more using interconnected networks.

14

From the business perspective with less time spent during each transaction, more transaction can
be achieved on the same day. As for the consumer, they will save up more time during their
transaction. Because of this, Ecommerce steps in and replaced the traditional commerce method
where a single transaction can cost both parties a lot of valuable time.
Ecommerce is the most cost effective compared to traditional commerce method. This is due to
the fact where through ecommerce, the cost for the middleperson to sell their products can be
saved and diverted top another aspect of their business. For ecommerce, the total overheads
needed to run the business is significantly much less compared to the traditional commerce
method. The reason due to that is where most of the cost can be reduced in Ecommerce.
To both the consumers and business, connectivity plays an important part as it is the key factor
determining the whole business. From the business point of view, Ecommerce provides better
connectivity for its potential customer as their respective website can be accessed virtually from
anywhere through the Internet. This way, more potential customers can get in touch with the
companys business and thus, eliminating the limits of geographical location. From the
customers standpoint, Ecommerce is much more convenient as they can browse through a
whole directories of catalogues without any hassle, compare prices between products, buying
from another country and on top of that, they can do it while at home or at work, without any
necessity to move a single inch from their chair. Besides that for both consumers and business,
Ecommerce proves to be more convenient as online trading has less red tape compared to
traditional commerce method. Ecommerce itself gives a boost to the global market. In short, if
without any major obstacles, Ecommerce will certainly continue to mature in the global; market
and eventually, it will become an essential business plan for a company in order to survive and
stay competitive in the ever changing market.
Ecommerce business have numerous advantages over off line retail locations and catalog
operators consumers browsing online stores can easily search to find exactly what they are
looking for while shopping and can easily comparison shop with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Even the smallest online retail sites can sell products and turn a profit with a very simple online
0presence. Web tracking technology allows ecommerce sites to closely track customer
preferences and deliver highly individualized marketing to their entire customer base.
Some of the benefits of ecommerce are
Expanded geographical reach
Expanded customer base
Increase visibility through Search engine Marketing
Provide customers valuable information about your business
Available 24/7/365 Never close
Build customer Loyalty
Reduction of Marketing and Advertising costs
Collection of customer Data

15

Impacts, Challenges and Limitations of Ecommerce

Impacts of Ecommerce:
The introduction of ecommerce has impacted on the traditional means of online exchanges. It is
creating a new market place and opportunities for the reorganization of economic processes, in a
more efficient way. The open structure of the Internet and the low cost of using it permit the
interconnection of new and existing information and communication technologies. It offers
businesses and consumers an innovative and powerful information system and another form of
communication. This changes the way they search and consumer products, with these products
increasingly customized, distributed and exchanged differently. The advent of ecommerce has
seen a dramatic impact on the traditional ways of doing business. It has brought producers and
consumers closer together and eradicated many of the costs previously encountered. It is evident
that the supply industry will benefit from ecommerce which includes those producing
computers, networking equipment and the software necessary. It is also evident that a negative
impact will be targeted at direct substitutes, such as retail travel agencies, retailers of software
and bricks and mortar: music stores. However, these impacts will be small compared to the
developments imaginable.
Challenges of Ecommerce:
As far as ecommerce is concerned it is still in an infancy stage in India. The environment exist
today is not much suitable for the fast growth of ecommerce. There are various problems and
challenges, which should be resolved immediately to achieve a fast growth in this area. One of
the important challenges faced by this sector is the lack of adequate infrastructure for IT
technology and Internet. The penetration of personal computers in India is as low as 3.5 per
thousand of population compared to over 6 per thousand in China and 500 per thousand in USA.
Another important reason for not developing ecommerce is the high tariff rate charged by
Internet Service Providers [ISPs] Speed and connectivity is also poor. Another problem faced is
that ecommerce sites are one of the favorite targets of hackers. If you think that your site is not
relevant enough to catch their attention, you are wrong, and this way of thinking will help you to
prepare to face related risks. And the most serious drawback is the absence of effective cyber law
at the moment. Ecommerce is governed by the UNCITRAI model code, but this is not binding
on any country. It is expected that all WTO member countries will soon enact laws to govern e
commerce. Towards this end, India has passed her Information Technology Act in May
2000.However, this Act simply considers the commercial and criminal side of law and fails to
consider other multidimensional aspects of ecommerce, Another cause for the slow growth of e
commerce is the privacy and security issues. Measures like digital signatures, Digital certificates,
and fire walls can be adopted to secure safety and protection over the message passed on
internet. Payment related problems also continue to block the ecommerce activities. Electronic
cash, credit cards etc. are some of the popular payment method used for ecommerce
transactions. But unfortunately penetration of ecash and credit cards not only low, but Indian
consumers are suspicious about the threat of fraud played by unscrupulous hackers. In order to
minimize this problem experts suggest the use of digital certificate along with credit card to
secure their payment activities.

16

Limitations of Ecommerce:
Electronic commerce is also characterized by some technological and inherent limitations which
have restricted the number of people using this revolutionary system. One important
disadvantage of ecommerce is that the Internet has still not touched the lives of a great number
of people, either due to lack of knowledge or trust. A large number of people do not use the
Internet for any kind of financial transaction.
Another limitation of ecommerce is that it is not suitable for perishable commodities like food
items. People prefer to ship in the conventional way than to use ecommerce for purchasing food
products. So ecommerce is not suitable for such business sectors. The time period required for
delivering physical products can also be quite significant in case of ecommerce. A lot of phone
calls and emails may be required till you get your desired products. However returning a
product and getting a refund can be more troublesome and time consuming than purchasing, in
case if you are not satisfied with a particular product. Some of the other limitations are:

Credit card security is a serious issue if vulnerable

Costs involved with bandwidth and other computer and server costs

Extensive database and technical knowledge and experience required

Customer apprehension about online Credit Card orders

Constantly changing technology may leave slow business behind

Some customers need instant gratification, and shipment times interrupt that

Search utilities far surpasses the speed used to find products through catalogs

Encourages competition between small and large online retailers

17

BUSINESS MODELS OF E-COMMERCE

ECommerce is a much wider subject than selling online. It is of the view that ecommerce
covers any form of transaction where technology has played a part. There are also many different
types of ecommerce, with differing relationships existing with each. Some of the important
models of ecommerce are as follows:
Business to Business (B2B)
B2B (business to business) is the major and valuable model of ecommerce.B2B (business
to business) ecommerce is conducted between two separate businesses and has been in effect
for many years. Ecommerce plays an important role in enhancing and transforming relationships
between and among business. B2B (business to business)is also known as ebiz, is the
exchange of products, services, or information between businesses rather than between
businesses and consumers. Although early interest centered on the growth of retailing on the
Internet (sometimes called etailing), forecasts are that B2B revenue will far exceed business to
consumers [B2C] revenue in the near future. B2B (business to business )is a kind of
ecommerce, which refers to a company selling or buying from other companies. One company
communicates with other companies through electronic Medias. Some of these transactions
include sending and receiving orders, invoice and shopping orders. It was an attractive
alternative to the current process of printing, mailing various business documents. Some B2B
applications are the following:
Supplier Management
Electronic applications in this area helps to speed up business partnerships through the reduction
of purchase order processing costs and cycle times, and by maximizing the number of
purchase order processing with fewer people.
Inventory Management
Electronic applications make the ordership bill cycle shorter. Businesses can easily keep
track of their documents to make sure that they were received. Such a system improves auditing
capabilities, and helps reduce inventory levels, improve inventory turns, and eliminate out of
stock occurrences.
Distribution Management
Electronic based applications make the transmission of shipping documents much easier
and faster. Shipping documents include bill of lading, purchase orders, advance ship notices, and
manifest claims. Ecommerce also enables more efficient resource management by certifying
that documents contain more accurate data.

Channel Management
Ecommerce allows for speedier distribution of information regarding changes in
operational conditions to trading partners. Technical, product and pricing information can be
posted with much ease on electronic bulletin boards.

18

Payment Management
An electronic payment system allows for a more efficient payment management system by
minimizing clerical errors, increasing the speed of computing invoices, and reducing transaction
fees and costs.
Many organizations are implementing electronic commerce in numerous ways and
receiving tangible benefits but as electronic commerce matures and develops, these ways are
likely to change based on the accelerating adoption rate.

There Are Three Specific Implementation Models Of B2B ECommerce:

Transaction based
A single company establishes a common transactional method for conducting business with its
major customers or key suppliers. This offering is common across all business units within the
company and includes common tools, techniques, and infrastructure.
Process based
Two companies establish a common business process to conduct business efficiently between the
two firms. The two firms establish and share this common practice jointly, both within their firm
and outside their organization with this predetermined trading partner.
Strategic relationship based
Two or more companies establishing a strategic relationship partnership based on all major
interactions between the organizations. This includes transactions, processes, and any other
collaboration between the organizations. From a technology perspective this includes linking the
CRM, ERP and SCM systems of the two organizations. This way each organization can actually
monitor sales activity, production schedules, inventory management, and technical service
exchanges

19

List of Online E-Commerce B2B Portals:

1. www.exportersindia.com
2. http://www.alibaba.com
3. www.asianproducts.com
4. www.Tradeindia.com
5. www.ebitobi.com
6. www.tradekey.com
7. www.ebitobi.com
8. www.indianyellowpages.com
9. http://promarket.in
10. http://www.tradeboss.com
11. http://account.hisupplier.com
12. http://www.ec21.com
13. http://www.pcexporters.com
14. www.manufacturers.com
15. http://en.trade2cn.com
16. www.en.chinaexporter.com/
17. www.ecvv.com
18. www.ttnet.net
19. http://www.tradett.com
20. www.usaexportimport.com
21. www.market.tradeholding.com
22. www.b2bchinasources.com
23. www.made-from-india.com
24. www.mercatrade.com
25. www.alibaba.com
26. www.pcexporters.com
27. www.ecvv.com
28. www.globalsources.com
29. www.tradeindia.com
30. www.exportersindia.com
In these existing e-commerce B2B portals none of them is exclusively for stationary items. The
main focus of this project is to make E-Commerce B2B portal exclusively for stationery items.
This could be the USP of the E-Commerce portal because its exclusively for stationery items.

20

MODEL OF THE PROJECT

This e-commerce B2B portal gives the market space where retailer interacts to their
trading partner.

This B2B e-commerce portal will

manufacturer/distributor and the retailers.

There is only information flow between trading partner and retailer through the medium
of the E-commerce B2B portal. This information flow is the two way from trading
partner and retailers and unidirectional from distributor to trading partner.

No information is been flow between retailers and the manufacture/distributors directly.

Material flow takes place from manufacturer / distributor to trading partner and from
trading partner to retailers.

Material flow is a unidirectional.

Revenue will generate through trading with manufacture and with retailers. Revenue
model is decided on mutual consent between the two parties.

21

act

as

an

intermediary

between

DATA COLLECTION
To check the feasibility of this project, we need to collect the data and analysis it. Here the
primary data could be the efficient data for the analysis.

Primary Data:
Data observed or collected directly from the first-hand experience or we can say primary data are
originated by a researcher for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand.

Sources of Primary Data

Questionnaire and interviews are main sources in collecting primary data here the respondents or
interviewees are manufacturer/distributor and retailers.
Gathered responses help to gain fine insight into the market for the stationery items. It also helps
to understand the perception of retailer and manufacturer/distributor towards the online
ecommerce B2B portal which is more important in checking the feasibility of the project.

22

DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis is based on the responses of 41 Distributor i.e.(sample size is 41).

In the above figure:

There are 25 distributors who are in favor of this exclusive E-Commerce B2B portal.

10 distributors are neutral with this portal they are not sure about the success of this
project so they believe in the testing of the project before use.

6 distributors are against of this portal because they are not in the favor of electronic
commerce.

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Data analysis is based on the responses of 53 retailers (i.e. sample size is 53).

In the above figure:

There are 26 retailers who are in favor of this exclusive E-Commerce B2B portal.

10 retailers are neutral with this portal they are not sure about the success of this
project so they believe in the testing of the project before use.

17 retailers are against of this portal because they are not in the favor of electronic
commerce because they believe in touching and feel stationery items and select item
and decide to purchase from its own.

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SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

It will be the first e-commerce portal exclusively for stationery items.

Products offered will be somewhat cheaper.
Stationery items are cheapest item than the other items thereby accounting
for less risk.
Possibility of finding large no of retailers is high.
Demands of stationery items are ever green. Stationery items are nonperishable.
WEAKNESS

Shipping time could be an issue.

Initially distributors are hesitant to give goods on credit.
For such small items, as that of stationery retailers are hesitant to order from
the ecommerce portals.
In rural area people are not computer literate.
Ease of access- retailers/distributors finds it more convenient and easy to
place the order personally rather than trading online.
OPPORTUNITY

Popularity of e-commerce portal is increasing day by day.

Expansion of business is easier by using the E-Commerce portal.
Since future literacy rate will be increasing so the chances of business
expansion is more in stationery items.
THREATS

Entry of another e-commerce portal for stationery item.

Direct contact between retailer and manufacturing/distributor can lead to
loss in business.

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CONCLUSION

Since the majority of distributors and retailers are in favor of this portal so it is feasible to
carry out this project.

B2B Portal provides the cleared and well-structured deal and enable the global market
where you can promote your unlimited product and services in a very cost effective way.

Without any more efforts you can easily enhance your global market presence by getting
inquiries from buyers across the world and generate large amounts in revenue.

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LIMITATIONS

Some retailers are not ready to change their mindset.

Difficult to decide sample size for preparing the questionnaire.

Deciding the Pricing model is quite difficult some time.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Live demo of the E-commerce B2B portal will help to convenience other retailers and
manufacturer/Distributors.

Flexibility in the business model is more beneficial for this portal.

Before making an inventory decision trading partners should explore more market.

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REFERENCES

http://www.tutorialspoint.com/e_commerce/e_commerce_quick_guide.htm

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/5rcMyyEJgbQzZUnkJ9dRjJ/Amazon-stake-inseller-may-come-under-scrutiny.html

Prashant Kasera J. (2006): 'World of B2B' '1st Edition, India.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/viewpoint2000/view-000411-1.shtml

B2B Business Models Essay by Ruth A. Wienclaw, Ph.D. EBSCO Research Starters

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APPENDICES
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR RETAILER:
1. For how long years are you using the internet?
a. 1 year ,
b. 2 years,
c. 3 years,
d. More
2. Have you done any transaction over internet?
a. Yes
b. No
3. What is the advertisement medium of your product?
a. Newspaper,
b. TV
c. Magazines,
d. Exhibition/ trade shows
4. Have you ever used any portals for your products promotion?
a. Yes
b. No
5. Rank in order of your preference the various portals provided by the company.(rank 1 for
the best one..)
a. Indiamart.com
b. Tradeindia.com
c. Alibaba.com
6. Do you think that promoting your product through a definite business portal will
ultimately help in exposing your product globally?
a. Yes
b. No
7. Which is the best medium of promoting the products features through online? (RANK
IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE)1-BEST
a. Trade fare
b. Print media,
c. Electronic media
8. Do you think web portal will help in your business ?
a. Yes
b. No

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9. Do you think giving P.O to the distributer is time consuming ?

a. Yes
b. No
10. How many customers visit daily at your shop?
a. 0-100
b. 100-150
c. 150-200
d. 200 above
11. Are you satisfied in dealing with a single supplier?
a. Yes.
b. No.
12. How much time will supplier take for delivering the product?
a. 0-2 days
b. 2-4 days
c. 4-7 days
d. Above 1 week.
13. When does retailer pay money for delivery ?
a. At the same time
b. In between 1 week
c. After 1 week
14. What should be the payment time according to retailers?
a. Cash on delivery
b. Pre-payment
c. Post-payment
15. What should be the credit period?
a. 0-7 days
b. 7-10 days
c. 10-15 days
d. No credit
16. What should be the modes of payment for retailer?
a. Credit card/debit card
b. Cash
c. Check
d. Other mode
17. Online exclusive web portal (websites) for retailers will help retailers in selecting the
supplier/ manufactures?
a. Yes
b. No
c. May be
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QUESTIONNAIRE FOR DISTRIBUTOR

1. What according to you should be the credit period ?
a. No credit period
b. Less than 5 days
c. 5-10 days distributor
d. More than 10 days
2. According to you what should be the rebate mechanism ?
a. By Per unit
b. By bulk purchase
c. No rebate
3. What should be the expected margin ?
a. Less than 5%
b. 5-10%
c. 10-15%
d. More than 15%
4. What is the maximum no. of unit can manufacturer give in a particular day ?
a. Less than 50
b. Between 50-100
c. More than 100
d. Not determined
5. How you take any exclusive e-commerce portal for manufacturer/supplier?
a. Average
b. Good
c. Very good
d. Excellent
6. Will you allow to put images in the ecommerce portal after giving the ownership of
your product?
a. Yes
b. No
7. Offers given by manufacturer on products ?
a. Yes
b. No
8. What should be the minimum units purchased ?
a. Between 0-10
b. 10-20
c. 20-30
d. 30-50
9. What are the taxes to be included ?
a. TDS
b. Input/output

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