By Matthieu Simon

• Following our publication last year of " The Spring of B2B Marketplaces " it is time to look back and to answer these questions: has there been some movement in the market? Have B2B players evolved in their marketplace business models? Is launching a new market observatory worthwhile? The answers to all questions is "yes". Lots of things have happened over the past year. While there are still four broad B2B marketplace strategies, they have changed: two strategies have merged and a new one has emerged. These changes reflect a growing focus on this distribution model, while B2B e-commerce continues to grow.

• But launching a marketplace does not come easily. This study has identified several main challenges that must be overcome to ensure that businesses stay on the right track for success. If we take a step back and look at the broader picture of B2B buyers' activities, e-procurement systems take the lion’s share of transactions. Since marketplaces offer the additional benefits of large and flexible product portfolios, in the future these models will move closer together and deliver the best of both worlds.

• In the previous study "The Spring of B2B Marketplaces" published last year, four different business models were identified: "Long-tail growth", "Defensive/Offensive one-stop shop", "Distribution channel extension" and "Business model transformation". One year down the road, there is further momentum in the market and new business strategies have emerged. For now we have identified:

- One-stop shop

- Distribution channel extension

- Procurement network

- Business model transformation