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| International Trade Gets Eco-Friendly through B2B
By: Salil Pillai
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As businesses are getting more environmentally conscious, this phenomenon has fuelled businesses across the world to use Business to Business (B2B) portals as their international business tool for all their trading needs. However, in the early 1990's, though the concept was well accepted by the business world, traders were skeptical about the positive results. But today leading B2B portals have proved beyond doubt the world that the concept is not only fast and cost effective, but also an eco-friendly medium to do international trade.
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Top trade shows still attract many companies to showcase their products and services, but a majority of small and medium enterprises (SME) have totally resorted to do the same through B2Bs. And this in fact, has reduced unnecessary movement of people and commodities to several such shows resulting in lowering cost of marketing as well as energy to every business entity involved.
Besides, instead of traveling to meet a new client to a foreign land, traders found this new rendezvous in the form of B2B portal. In business development process, after making initial interactions through emails, they sometimes even confirm their business facilities through video-conferencing before inking the deals, and this too is made possible through B2Bs.
According to studies, more than 60% of SME utilize the services of B2Bs directly or indirectly. Though there is a flurry and mushrooming of several B2Bs with claims of providing complete business solutions, leading B2Bs are still largely sought after in the e-commerce arena.
B2Bs are environmentally appealing mainly because of the non-involvement of any kind global warming material being used in the business development process.
. The complete business process except product delivery involves just electronic interaction and transaction.
. Products or services are presented to the client/clients by redirecting them to their respective websites from their B2B profile or through the same profile itself depending upon the B2B package their have opted for.
. Avoids physical presence in all stages of business, and in abstract services even delivery is made electronically.
B2Bs generated huge revenues as compared to other business models engaged in global trade without emitting any harmful green house gases or cutting trees which was otherwise used extensively in paper-based business processes of the past. Perhaps serious concern for the deteriorating health of the environment due to climate change and other related issues have prompted businesses to take a paradigm shift to opt for B2Bs.
Most B2Bs expect bringing in such awareness among traders will also help these portals to grow besides other positive aspects. In addition, these portals hope environmentally conscious traders to market B2B concept to non-users through word of mouth or other means to adopt it as part of 'save the planet slogan'. Some of the B2Bs provide even international services including transport, go-between and other services, besides the regulars, import and export to put their use into good effect.
Apart from the eco-friendly aspects of these portals there are other attractive reasons for traders to adopt this model such as, negligible cost involved in marketing operations of any given company, user-friendliness and not to mention the speed in delivering goods. Though there are any scales to measure the amount or number of benefits to the environment after the arrival of B2B portals is available, looking into the features as well as the time presence, one is made to believe, they have made a huge positive impact in the eco front. The eco-conscious traders, if they have not started utilizing these services, will certainly adopt this business tool as a medium for their global and even for their domestic trading needs very soon.