Business-to-business platforms as a part of e-commerce – possibilities of practical use by Polish enterprises

Abstract

There are plenty of e-commerce platforms operating domestically and internationally. Business to business (B2B) platforms are the ones that are developing most dynamically. The aim of this paper is to show potential advantages that can be derived from the innovative solutions offered by e‑commerce, and most notably by B2B platforms in a context of improvement of business effectiveness of enterprises. B2B potential is described based on analysis of the biggest Polish and foreign business platforms (their abilities and functionalities). Empirical tests focused mostly on an analysis of operation of the newly established (seemingly) innovative B2B platform called ALEO that differentiates itself on the Polish market not only with its functionality (as, besides standard functions, it offers financing of the supplier, rating or the possibility of carrying out purchase and/or sales auctions), but also with providing support for the bank sector, which – so far – has never been offered.