General market trends
In 2021, the combined value of e-shipments of manufacturers and wholesale trade amounted to 4.23 trillion U.S. dollars. Even more conservative estimates suggest that the B2B e-commerce sales will experience steady growth by 2027. In the wholesale and distribution sectors, the online channel has gained ground vs. offline, and the trend towards digital seems unstoppable. U.S. e-commerce wholesale trade sales were worth 3.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, roughly one-third of total wholesale trade.Vertical marketplaces are here to stay
Generalist marketplaces like Amazon Business thrive thanks to their established position in the B2C market, but B2B e-commerce specialized in specific sectors proved to be successful thanks to their unique business model and range of offered services. The U.S. is home to vertical marketplaces like Zoro - owned by the industrial supply and equipment provider Grainger – and Xometry, specialized in on-demand 3D manufacturing.Business services opened new opportunities for B2B players launching online businesses. Fiverr is not just a marketplace connecting companies with professionals in creative fields. It now serves as a platform for the freelancing community worldwide. In the realm of logistics, Freightos is an online platform for freight booking but generates most of its increasing revenue from data analytics services. Marketplaces serve as digital platforms for B2B exports, too. In this case, payment services are crucial. The variety of payment services used for cross-border operations suggests that any category of marketplace must integrate payment options in a streamlined user experience.
