When it comes to e-commerce, ordinary consumers usually first think of retail businesses. In fact, the proportion of business-to-business (B2B) businesses in the e-commerce field is far higher than that of online retail (B2C and C2C). A report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development shows that in 2019, the value of global B2B e-commerce accounted for 82% of all e-commerce.

B2B platforms can be divided into comprehensive and vertical types. The former are usually third-party intermediary platforms covering multiple industries, such as Amazon Business in the United States and EC21 in South Korea; the latter cover a specific industry, such as the French medical equipment platform "Medical Device Online Exhibition". Some vertical B2B platforms are also self-built by large-scale enterprises, such as Dell's online procurement system.

During the epidemic prevention and control period, enterprises in various countries accelerated their pace of digital transformation, and the B2B e-commerce market ushered in strong growth. Amazon's recently released "2021 E-commerce Development Report" stated that 85% of surveyed US companies increased online procurement due to the epidemic, and more than 90% said they would continue to increase online procurement. Gartner, a US consulting firm, predicts that by 2025, 80% of sales interactions will be conducted through digital channels.

With the continuous development of technologies such as big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, the functions of many B2B platforms have been gradually upgraded, transforming from transactional platforms to supply chain service platforms. This not only provides member enterprises on the platform with information matching, third-party payment settlement, logistics distribution, credit evaluation and other services, but some platforms can also provide centralized procurement, warehousing and processing, data services, and supply chain financial services, helping enterprises better configure various supply chain resources. Some cross-border B2B platforms also extend supply chain services overseas, providing domestic small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises with customs clearance, export tax rebates, overseas warehouses, international transport, overseas marketing system construction, and trade financing and other supply chain services. Many platforms are committed to creating a "convenient shopping experience similar to personal consumer shopping" for corporate and institutional customers, allowing digitalization to better serve enterprise development.

Traditional enterprises joining the ranks of B2B e-commerce, through in-depth integration with Internet enterprises, service enterprises, and financial institutions, can enhance supply chain efficiency and personalized service capabilities through collaborative innovation in many areas such as product production, business processes, and business models. It can be said that online B2B transactions are the inevitable result of traditional enterprises and their upstream and downstream member enterprises using digital technology to integrate information flow, logistics, and capital flow. Against the backdrop of the epidemic's impact on global supply chains, this integration highlights the urgency and provides momentum for the further development of B2B e-commerce.

Data shows that China has become the world's largest online retail market. In the future, with the in-depth integration of China's traditional industries and the "Internet +," the B2B e-commerce market will usher in more opportunities, and will further drive the collaborative development of the real economy through innovation and upgrading, promote the formation of a cross-border integrated supply chain ecosystem, and optimize resource allocation. Traditional enterprises need to seize opportunities, actively integrate into the wave of China's "Internet +" and digital revolution, and share the dividends of B2B e-commerce development.

(The author is a professor at the School of Information, University of International Business and Economics.)