Business Buying Behavior
International B2B Markets and E-commerce
Key Takeaway
Firms
in the same industry tend to cluster in the same geographic areas
because the resources these firms need - both human and natural - are
located in some areas and not others. Sellers also want to be close to
their buyers. E-commerce, or commerce conducted electronically such as
over the Internet, has made locating near buyers less important for
business-to-business sellers and opened up opportunities for them to
sell their products around the world. However, e-commerce has also led
to more competition and made it difficult for sellers to raise their
prices. B2B e-commerce was slower to take hold than B2C e-commerce.
Companies have since developed sophisticated e-commerce systems,
including sell-side and buy-side Web sites, exchanges, and B2B auctions.