B2B e-commerce refers to the exchange of goods and services between companies through an electronic platform. Companies operating in the B2B e-commerce space follow either the direct model or the marketplace model to conduct their business. The direct model involves companies setting up their own platforms and selling directly to buyers. A marketplace, meanwhile, is a platform where many companies sell their products alongside their competitors. Even though B2C e-commerce has witnessed widespread adoption, it is the recent evolution and growth of B2B e-commerce that is attracting the attention of buyers, sellers, and investors all over the world.
One of the trends in B2B e-commerce is the rise of vertical or specialized marketplaces. These portals offer a larger range of products in a particular category, along with specialized value-added services. Business-to-Everyone is another trend that is rapidly gaining traction.
Companies are also increasingly using big data to deliver a personalized customer experience. In addition, mobile shops are becoming more and more popular in B2B e-commerce. Due to the strain on legacy platforms, which are not designed to handle such scale, cloud platforms are gaining momentum.
Moreover, B2B e-commerce companies are now integrating their platform with external systems to establish an omnichannel relationship with their customers.
The lack of quality customer data (due to the smaller number of buyers and hyperspecialized services) is hampering personalization efforts. Furthermore, the larger scale and other complexities of the sector, such as larger order quantities, variable prices, more products, and tighter delivery deadlines, are straining existing supply chains.
Another barrier to industry growth is that companies often simply extend their ERP solutions to enable e-business, thus putting a big strain on legacy platforms. As it becomes necessary for B2B companies to be nimble and mimic the B2C shopping experience, a flexible and interoperable e-commerce architecture is essential.
Amazon, Alibaba, Rakuten, Unite (formerly Mercateo), Global Sources, Walmart, and IndiaMART are the major players in the global B2B e-commerce market. Amazon rebranded its B2B e-commerce operations, AmazonSupply, as Amazon Business in 2015 and achieved sales of over U.S.$1 billion in just a year. In 2025, the company registered U.S.$83.1 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV).
With a share of about 41% in China, Alibaba is now expanding its operational base to South America, Europe, and the U.S. The company’s vast network of low-cost suppliers enables it to dominate the B2B e-commerce market. IndiaMART, Unite (formerly Mercateo), and Rakuten are the largest B2B e-commerce companies in India, Germany, and Japan, respectively.
Management summary
Table of contents
Introduction
- Overview
- Business models
- E-commerce evolution
- B2B vs. B2C e-commerce
- B2B e-commerce buyer profile
- Global B2B e-commerce market
- Regional analysis
- Country analysis: China
- Country analysis: U.S.
- Country analysis: India
- Country analysis: UK
- Global B2B e-commerce market by application
Trends- Overview
- Vertical marketplaces< /li>
- Personalization
- Mobile B2B e-commerce
- Cloud platform
- Omnichannel strategy
- Business-to-Everyone
- AI integration
Barriers- Overview
- Lack of quality customer data
- Complexity of supply chains
- Legacy platforms
- Economic uncertainties
Competitive landscape- Overview
- Amazon
- Alibaba
- Rakuten
- Unite (formerly Mercateo)
- Global Sources
- IndiaMART
- Walmart
Appendix
Tables/images:
Introduction- B2B e-commerce business models
- E-commerce evolution
- B2B vs. B2C e-commerce
- Use of various channels by B2B buyers to research and evaluate suppliers, in %
- Essential data needed from suppliers, in %
- Types of websites used to complete purchases
- Global B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in Asia-Pacific in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in North America in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in Europe in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in the Middle East in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in Latin America and the Caribbean in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in RoW in billion U.S.$
- Internet users in millions
- Chinese B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- Concentration of China’s SME B2B e-commerce platforms by revenue
- Major B2B e-commerce platforms in China
- U.S. B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- Indian B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- Funding in B2B e-commerce startups
- UK B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV by application in billion U.S.$
Trends- List of selected companies in the vertical B2B space
- Current way of interacting with suppliers’ sales representatives during different stages
- Preferred interaction type, by stage of buying journey
- Number of distinct channels B2B customers use for decision-making
- Share of procurement professionals planning to adopt AI technologies as of 2024, by use case
- Share of B2B marketers adopting AI for chatbots or virtual assistants in 2024
Barriers- Biggest risks for businesses
Competitive landscape- Leading companies in the B2B e-commerce space
- Comparison of leading companies
Amazon
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Amazon’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in billion U.S.$
- Timeline
- Number of Amazon fulfillment centers in Europe as of Q1 2025, by country
- Number of packages delivered by Amazon Logistics in the United States from 2018 to 2023, in billions
- Number of online visitors per month in billions
- Amazon’s B2B marketplace structure
Alibaba
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Alibaba’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in million U.S.$
- Alibaba’s domestic and international wholesale commerce revenue in million U.S.$
- Quarterly active buyers in millions
- Timeline
- Alibaba’s financing partnerships
Rakuten
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Rakuten’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in billion U.S.$
- Timeline
Unite (formerly Mercateo)
- Important facts & figures
- Global presence of Unite (formerly Mercateo)
- Revenue in million U.S.$
- Timeline
Global Sources
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Timeline
IndiaMART
- Important facts & figures
- Timeline
- Operational parameters
Walmart
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Walmart’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in billion U.S.$
- Timeline
AppendixIntroduction
- B2B e-commerce business models
- e-commerce evolution
- B2B vs. B2C e-commerce
- Use of various channels by B2B buyers to research and evaluate suppliers, in %
- Essential data needed from suppliers, in %
- Types of websites used to complete purchases
- Global B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in Asia-Pacific in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in North America in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in Europe in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in the Middle East in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in Latin America and the Caribbean in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV in RoW in billion U.S.$
- Internet users in millions
- Chinese B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- Concentration of China’s SME B2B e-commerce platforms by revenue
- Major B2B e-commerce platforms in China
- U.S. B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- Indian B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- Funding in B2B e-commerce startups
- UK B2B e-commerce GMV in billion U.S.$
- B2B e-commerce GMV by application in billion U.S.$
Trends- List of selected companies in the vertical B2B space
- Current way of interacting with suppliers’ sales representatives during different stages
- Preferred interaction type, by stage of buying journey
- Number of distinct channels B2B customers use for decision-making
- Share of procurement professionals planning to adopt AI technologies as of 2024, by use case
- Share of B2B marketers adopting AI for chatbots or virtual assistants in 2024
Barriers- Biggest risks for businesses
Competitive landscape- Leading companies in the B2B e-commerce space
- Comparison of leading companies
Amazon
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Amazon’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in billion U.S.$
- Timeline
- Number of Amazon fulfillment centers in Europe as of Q1 2025, by country
- Number of packages delivered by Amazon Logistics in the United States from 2018 to 2023, in billions
- Number of online visitors per month in billions
- Amazon’s B2B marketplace structure
Alibaba
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Alibaba’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in million U.S.$
- Alibaba’s domestic and international wholesale commerce revenue in million U.S.$
- Quarterly active buyers in millions
- Timeline
- Alibaba’s financing partnerships
Rakuten
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Rakuten’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in billion U.S.$
- Timeline
Unite (formerly Mercateo)
- Important facts & figures
- Global presence of Unite (formerly Mercateo)
- Revenue in million U.S.$
- Timeline
Global Sources
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Timeline
IndiaMART
- Important facts & figures
- Timeline
- Operational parameters
Walmart
- Important facts & figures
- Key business segments
- Walmart’s global presence
- Key business segments by revenue in billion U.S.$
- Timeline
Appendix
