Grow your business using B2B emarketplace – Part II

Written by Nowshade Kabir


Continued from page 1

The best option, as I believe, is based on The Universal Standard Products and Services Classification (UNSPSC), which is a global coding system that classifies products and services. This categorization scheme coversrepparttar broadest collection of industries and commodities available today, and designed to facilitate e-commerce transactions by providing geography-independent common nomenclature system.

Product search capability withinrepparttar 108799 marketplace and e-catalog Members ofrepparttar 108800 emarketplace should be able to locate any product or service, whether inrepparttar 108801 auctions, marketplaces, or inrepparttar 108802 catalog with ease. Advanced search function should allow finding required items using precise query.

Supply chain process, i.e. request for quote, quotation, purchase order, billing system, etc. Efficient supply chain management isrepparttar 108803 number one strategic priority for many businesses. In 2001, Cisco System alone had to write off US $2.5 billion in excess inventories due to poor management of its numerous outsourcing contractors. E-marketplaces can help streamlining your supply chain process ifrepparttar 108804 required features are embedded in their system.

Directory of members Usually most emarketplaces incorporate a searchable directory of their members. The members get an added opportunity of creating new business relations and increasing sales thanks to this feature.

Product content adding and editing interface In order to make product content adding and maintaining easier for sellers,repparttar 108805 marketplace must have an uncomplicated tool. The tool could be a wizard-based combination of simple forms. To integrate larger catalogs speedily and efficientlyrepparttar 108806 emarketplace should have XML based interface.

Ability to promote products and services The process of posting an offer for sale of a product or a service onrepparttar 108807 marketplace should be simple and easy but sophisticated enough to create dynamic offer, offer with time limit, variable pricing based on quantity, etc.

Apart fromrepparttar 108808 above mentioned functionalities that facilitate conducting e-business, other key characteristics of a quality e-marketplace should include:

Simplicity – An emarketplace should be easy to learn and use. Large Community – The quantity of members should be big enough, so that new participants can expand their business. Flexibility – Emarketplace functions should be flexible enough to modify or add with new features when necessary. Neutrality – The emarketplace should be an unbiased venue for both sellers and buyers. No member should have any privilege atrepparttar 108809 expense of others. Providing an open and transparent market for allrepparttar 108810 participants is an important constituent ofrepparttar 108811 value proposition of an emarketplace.

Cost of doing business through e-marketplace

In general, thanks torepparttar 108812 large member base, e-marketplaces charge a reasonable subscription fee if you would like to participate in it. Many emarketplaces also charge a nominal fee for each trade made using their facilities. Other costs involved, that you should consider, are internal workforce needed to handle business via emarketplace, catalog integration and maintaining, etc. In any case,repparttar 108813 cost of doing business through emarketplaces is negligible for most businesses compare torepparttar 108814 gains they make.

Get your partners involved

If you just build a corporate website and don’t spend required time and money to promote, it won’t bring any business. Same goes for emarketplace! Mere participation in an emarketplace also will not produce any significant benefit if you don’t convince your existing buyers and suppliers to work with you through your chosen emarketplace.

Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com. A Ph. D. in Information Technology, he has wide experience in Business Consulting, International Trade and Web Marketing. Rusbiz is a Global B2B Emarketplace with solutions to start and run online business. You can contact him at mailto:nowshade@rusbiz.com, http://ezine.rusbiz.com, http://www.rusbiz.com


We’re all hot-wired for a bargain

Written by Ken McGaffin


Continued from page 1

More and more Americans own homes - about 70 per cent of households atrepparttar last count. This is a far cry fromrepparttar 108798 early 1900s, when only a quarter of houses were owner-occupied. Inrepparttar 108799 intervening period, greater prosperity, mobility and more readily available finance thoughrepparttar 108800 likes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have fedrepparttar 108801 trend in home ownership.

The process of finding a home has also been transformed, from having to scourrepparttar 108802 newspapers and call into realtors to being able to search online. Searching for homes onrepparttar 108803 internet is not in itself that new – some people have been doing it for nearly 10 years. During that time, things have changed a lot online, thankfully, and websites have become more user friendly over that period.

But Bargain.com has gone a few steps farther and changedrepparttar 108804 way it is done. Bargain.com uses a subscription service so that it is not reliant on advertisers, nor does it act as an agent forrepparttar 108805 properties sold. In that way, prospective buyers are offered potential properties atrepparttar 108806 lowest available price.

Bargain.com uses advanced search and database technology to provide fast and accurate information on pricing, quality andrepparttar 108807 availability of products, even hard-to-find distressed properties.

Customer service staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help members findrepparttar 108808 best deals. If you sign up torepparttar 108809 service, you can use email, fax and home delivery of regularly updated catalogs.

More than five million homes were sold inrepparttar 108810 US last year - a lot of properties. If you were looking to buy last year, how many of those properties might have suited? Chances are there were quite a few. With Bargain.com, you probably would have found them.

Sometimes we forget how much technology has helped take more and more ofrepparttar 108811 drudge out of life. But no matter how technology changes, we’re all psychologically programmed to sniff out a bargain. The great thing about sites such as Bargain.com is that they can do a lot of our sniffing for us.

Ken McGaffin is a consultant and writer on ecommerce websites and online promotion.


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