Presentation of various B2B Business models case study

Abstract—Over the years, the Internet has become more and
more present in commerce and industry. During this time, many
sectors of the industry embraced the Web and professional
buyers, sellers and brokers started using new tools to conduct
their business. This endorsement led to the creation of
communities relying on a Web hub to communicate, as well as to
exchange goods, services and critical business information -
hence the emergence of electronic networks. Various business
models were introduced to serve these industries and build these
networks. Their respective communities of users, along with
technology providers, carved these networks. As a result, many
forms of business models emerged. Some of them evolved into
mature markets while others were being created. During the
process, several challenges were faced. Amongst them: Creating
a critical mass of users, operating the networks, getting to know
the targeted industries, all the while maintaining a strong,
reliable and competitive technology framework.
Mediagrif is celebrating a decade of Electronic Commerce
enablement and has acquired a unique experience in this field.
This paper presents an overview of some of these business
models, through case studies, and attempts to shed some light on
the challenges that were encountered.
I. INTRODUCTION
The business-to-business (B2B) electronic network, or
exchange, can loosely be defined as a software system aimed
at publishing goods and services on the Internet, linking
buyers and sellers, and facilitating the flow of information
between the parties involved in the negotiation or transaction
process.
The purpose of this paper is to present various B2B
networks, in the form of mini-case studies. Mediagrif is a
provider of eCommerce technology and an operator of such
networks. The networks presented here were selected from
Mediagrif’s portfolio of B2B e-business networks, which are
subsidiaries wholly or partially owned by the company. The
four examples chosen for this paper illustrate various business
models, address different industries and are at various stages
in their evolution.
The Broker Forum is Mediagrif’s first network. It
publishes electronic components for sale (such as electronic
chips) from vendors, or “want to buy” from buyers across the
world. Buyers may search for parts on the Web site while
sellers may post their parts inventory and then close a deal if
they wish so. This is a typical “many-to-many” network in the
electronic components industry.
MERX is an electronic tendering network. Tenders are
published on MERX (especially those from the Canadian
government) and businesses looking for opportunities can find
them on the Web site. MERX is a network addressing several
verticals, and offering both a public and a private section.
Global Wine and Spirits provides an Internet network for
buyers and sellers of the wine industry. It is a network
offering many services, from basic goods exchange to private
procurement.
Finally, the Polygon Trading Network will bring us back to
a buyer/seller, “many-to-many” model similar to Broker
Forum’s. This network covers the diamond and jewelry
industry.
The next sections describe these networks, with an
emphasis on their idiosyncrasies and key elements that make
them unique. Each table at the beginning of the sections
provides metrics to help comparing the networks.
Following these network reviews is a section going over
related aspects and challenges. The final section concludes
with lessons learned and the next foreseeable steps for
Mediagrif.
So let us move on to the first network, The Broker Forum.
II. A B2B TRADER’S NETWORK: THE BROKER FORUM [1]
The Broker Forum (BF) is a network in the electronic
components industry. Brokers and distributors use BF on a
daily basis to sell or buy electronic chips and components.
The sellers post their inventory either online or send it via
files over the Internet. The files pick-up mechanism is
automated and the inventory files get refreshed on a regular
basis. Members have access to these inventories via BF’s Web
site and can search for a specific part. The following table
gives basic facts about BF:
Presentation of Various B2B Business Models
Case Studies
Philippe Deschênes, Mediagrif Interactive Technologies

TABLE I
THE BROKER FORUM (AS OF JUNE, 2005)1
Industry Electronic Components
Year Launched 1996
No. of Members Approx. 3500 companies
No. of Visits (members) / Month Approx. 80,000
No. of Searchable Parts Approx. 85 million
No. of Part Searches / Day Approx. 160,000
No. of RFQs posted / Day Approx. 90,000
Reach 55 countries, 20 languages
A. The Community
As it is the case with most networks, BF owes its existence
to its community of users. Most of them are brokers (60%),
the others, distributors (40%). Both groups can buy or sell
components. Early on, the goal was to get as much vendors as
possible on the network, and this, from as many countries as
possible.
Rules were put in place to attract members from this
community and strengthen the bonds between them. One such
rule was to limit this community to those members whose core
business is to exchange or distribute electronic components.
The actual final buyers, such as the original equipment
manufacturers (OEM) were excluded. One has to remember
that this is primarily a trader’s world, and the intent of the
network is not to bypass existing sales channels, but rather
generate additional business for their members.
Reaching the critical mass and becoming the predominant
network goes hand in hand. Today, BF has attained this
critical mass of users, and because of that, is the leader in its
market.
BF members share this recognition. And with it comes
additional responsibilities for the network. Case in point is the
issue of members’ misconduct and fraud. Recently, members
asked BF to take measures to help prevent malicious members
from transacting on the network. Even though BF is
independent and does not take part in the transaction process
between members, the community requested that BF take
action and provide help resolving these issues. BF decided
that based on member’s feedback, those members known to
fail to abide by the network rules would be banned from it. As
a result, BF introduced the “revoked membership list” that is
published and broadcasted to the community. The introduction
of this feature proved to the community that the network was
willing to become accountable. The community’s reaction was
positive, as these lists are being read and used by a majority of
users today.
This community relies heavily on the network to do their
business. For a majority of users, BF has become a tool as
important as MS Outlook. Members may spend most of their
1
Because of strategic reasons, Mediagrif no longer discloses metrics on a
per network basis. Since June 2005, these figures are now consolidated.
working time searching for parts, looking for vendors and
sellers. Furthermore, it contributed to creating a new type of
business, that of the Internet broker. Such businesses are now
reaching the masses, as we see more and more brokers at the
small and medium scale B2C market.
As the BF network became the tool of the trade, it was
natural that users were reluctant to changes, particularly those
specific to the user interface. These changes need to be
carefully planned and introduced. Experience has
demonstrated how important this aspect can be. At one point,
the BF team introduced a new and revamped user interface.
Even though this was an improvement, the community
feedback was quick. As the changes were perhaps too
numerous and impacted sensitive areas of the Web site, BF
had to revert to its previous version. This fact illustrates how
critical this tool is, and how deeply integrated within the
member’s business process it has become. It also demonstrates
that user interface changes require planning.
In order to grow and improve the network, BF created a
user group. Once or twice a year, selected network members
gather and spend several days together, bringing their input
and giving BF a feedback from the community.
B. The BF Revenue Model
BF is primarily a subscription-based model. Businesses
join by paying a monthly fee and they are assigned a given
role: Broker or distributor. The membership is granted at the
company level, and employees access the network sharing the
same username. BF has the right to decline or grant a
subscription and does so according to its strict community
policies.
Growth is achieved in part by increasing the membership
base. BF has been around for 10 years now, and the electronic
component industry evolved significantly during this period.
The market has definitively moved from the US and Europe
territories towards Asia. This situation impacted BF’s
membership base. US and European membership was
stabilizing, while the Asian market was booming. Efforts have
been made to address this new market and BF’s Asian
membership increased accordingly.
But this alone cannot account for the important revenue
growth this network has generated. This is even more true
considering that the basic membership fees did not increase
for the past 5 years. Revenue growth comes also from value
added services offered to members.
The most valuable added services rendered are arguably
the mechanisms put in place to increase the level of trust
between members:
1) The ISCP Certification
Upon agreement with BF, a member can request a specific
level of certification. This program is called the In Stock
Certification Program (ISCP). Members interested in the
certification must abide by certain rules and regulations under
the ISCP program. Once the company is accepted in the

program, the ISCP symbol is attached next to the company’s
name. The symbol provides the company greater recognition
and affords other members to conduct new business with
greater confidence. The basic level (blue level) warrants that
this vendor is refreshing its inventory information on a weekly
basis. The gold level warrants a daily update of inventory.
2) The Verified Status
The members can push the certification one step further.
Upon demand, BF network employees (or accredited
associations) can perform on-site visits. An inspection
follows, and key business information is verified (typically,
the physical address, checks on the claimed inventory, etc.).
This verification provides additional value to the members as
this information is displayed on the network.
3) The Transaction Assistant
In the event of disputes between members, a notification
can be issued using a form so that the nature of the conflict is
brought at the BF administration level. BF may decide to get
involved in solving the dispute. One such action could
potentially lead to revoking a membership if the member is in
fault.
4) The Escrow Service
The BF escrow service enforces the terms agreed upon by
the buyer and seller. The buyer will receive the products and
have time to inspect them for accuracy. The vendor will have
confirmation that the buyer's funds are secured in the BF trust
account before shipping.
Finally, other revenue streams exist, although contributing
to a lesser extent. Such revenues come from the sale of space
on the network for banner ads and member sponsorships for
various BF tours.
C. The Importance of Network Operations
Many post 2000 dot-com failures were caused because
owners did not recognize that after all, networks are
businesses and should be operated as such.
BF’s strategy was to adopt a traditional operational model.
It consists of: Closely monitoring the members and their
community; selling the benefits of the network to new
potential members; up-selling added value services to existing
customers; and above all, making sure that every member
makes money using the network.
BF still relies mostly on telemarketing to reach the
members. A team of customer support representatives (CSR)
provides help over the phone for customers. This group is also
responsible to grow the business by up-selling new services to
customers.
Telemarketing vendors increase the membership base by
“cold calling” prospects. Lists of prospects are derived from
information obtained on the Internet, and from other sources.
New members are offered a “trial” membership and CSRs
help them getting around the network. Although remaining the
primary channel of communication, the telemarketing
activities are decreasing. To address the Asian market, local
agencies are hired that favor reaching customers with a “door-
to-door” approach.
BF managers evaluate the network activity by closely
monitoring some business indicators. The most important one
is called the “3 loggings per week, on 3 distinct days”. This
figure represents the number of users logging on the network
more than 3 times per week, on 3 different days. This is a
simple, but quite efficient indicator of how much value the
network brings to the member. The 3 logging value was
determined empirically years ago, but is still used in BF and in
most of our other networks. This value, divided by the total
number of members, gives the usage tendency of the network.
The BF ratio is around 90% and has increased steadily for the
past couple of years. This means that the network is being
used more and more by its members, despite the fact that the
membership base is increasing.
A corporate marketing team works closely with the
network team in defining future functionalities. It also seeks
new ways to increase the Web visibility.
The technology team finally brings the network to life. It is
responsible to create the network and host the system in
production. It provides technology expertise and Web
knowledge. It develops monitoring and customer relationship
management tools for the BF team.
Being an international community, BF is required to
support many languages. That means both on the Web site and
within the customer support team. Operations are around the
clock, and more than 20 languages are spoken among the
staff.
D. Contributing Success Factors
On top of proper operations as mentioned above, the BF
network benefited from key ingredients that contributed
significantly to its success.
First, the timing. BF was launched right before the Internet
wave hit, and at that time, was the only such service offered
on the Web. The competition then was small businesses,
relying solely on the fax service as a communication medium.
Another key factor was the choice of industry. In the early
years of the Internet, a computer literate community was likely
to adapt faster to this new technological reality.
Part of reaching the critical mass of users also includes
acquiring a sufficient inventory of parts to provide buyers
with a big enough offer. Therefore the distributors had to
provide the network with files of data containing parts
inventories. One of the strategies that were put in place was to
ease this process. BF encouraged their members to provide
these inventory files, no matter what. BF did not impose a file
format; rather it encouraged members to send what they had,
regardless of the format. BF ended up with files of various
formats, emails and faxes. Limiting the barrier to entry proved
to be wise. Right there, members could see the added value of
having their inventory information taken as is, without
additional work for them, and posted on the network in a short

period of time.
Also contributing to BF’s success: Strategic alliances with
industry partners. This brings visibility, trust and valuable
information to the network.
E. Challenges
Today, BF is considered a mature and profitable network.
Despite this commercial success, the network must provide its
share of growth.
One of the challenges BF is facing relates to its very social
mission – that is, bringing benefits to the community. The lack
of presence from the OEMs and buyers in general is a mixed
blessing. On one hand, it permits brokers to buy on the
network and then sell their products outside of it (most likely
to those OEMs). On the other, it prevents BF from generating
additional revenues from those OEMs. Ways are yet to be
found on how these buying members could be introduced on
the network without harming the brokers.
This problem will also have an impact on how we address
the Search Engine Optimization (SEO). OEMs are likely to
search for products using trendy search engines. Conversely,
future plans of introducing Pay-per-Click options will also be
impacted by OEMs, because it is the preferred paying method
for occasional buyers.
Today, the buyer is ruling and the Holy Grail is to find a
way to integrate them into the network.
Another challenge worth mentioning is the need to handle
mass communications. As we have seen, the community wants
to be heard by the network. There needs to be a
communication channel so that members can easily express
themselves to both the community and the network
management team. Mechanisms are already in place today,
and the benefit is measurable. BF is managing this
information and can therefore be notified when something
goes wrong, then picks-up the issues quickly and acts on them
fast. Obviously, efforts in this area need to be maintained.
Last but not least, promoting the usage of Internet for
business is still a challenge, even in this market space.
Evangelization of this community will always be an important
part of this business.
III. THE B2G E-TENDERING MODEL: MERX [2]
MERX is an electronic network dedicated to the
publication of public and private tenders. It provides a Web
presence to various levels of government (public side) and to
the private sector to post tenders. Businesses and individuals
looking for tenders can access the MERX Web site to search
and find business opportunities. MERX serves Canadian
businesses via three main services: The public tendering
service, the private tendering service and the private
construction service.
TABLE II
MERX (AS OF JUNE, 2005)
Industry
Government and Private Tendering
System
Year Launched 1997, acquired in 2002
No. of Members Approx. 20,000 (subscribers)
No. of Tenders Approx. 1,500 new postings / month
No. of Visits (members) /
Month
Approx. 70,000
Reach Canadian market, 2 languages
A. Public Tendering
The public side of MERX represents the core of this
business. It is the exclusive channel (above a given threshold
dollar value) used by the Canadian federal government to
electronically publish its tenders. MERX receives daily
tenders from various departments such as Public Works and
Government Services Canada (PWGSC), the Department of
Defence, etc. These tenders are forwarded to MERX, via
feeds, or can be uploaded on the Web site by the issuer.
Besides the federal government, other public authorities
also contribute to feeding MERX with tenders. MASH
institutions (Municipal, Academic, School and Hospital)
provide their feeds too. At the provincial level, both Ontario
and Manitoba use MERX as their primary e-Tendering
service. The Atlantic provinces and Saskatchewan repost on
MERX tenders that are being published on their local Web
sites.
These groups represent a total of approximately 1,000
members.
B. Private Tendering
The Private Tendering provides MERX suppliers a way to
post their own tenders on the Web site. The level of
functionality is tiered against the size of the business using it,
as both a basic and a personalized service is offered. Large
enterprises, such as Bombardier, create an important number
of tenders. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), on the
other hand, are likely to use this feature on an ad hoc basis.
Either way, the functionality is the same. The features are
virtually identical as those found within the public section.
The only difference resides in some functions being restricted.
In order to access the detailed contact information (e.g. phone
number, email, etc.), the user has to purchase this information
(while this information is free on the public side).
This is an interesting feature for up selling to existing
MERX suppliers. On the public side, a MERX supplier can
find business opportunities. They can then switch over to the
private side to request tenders for goods and services to
address the newly found opportunity.
C. Private Construction
The Private Construction section brings tenders from the
private construction sector. Tenders come from McGraw Hill
Construction, well known in the print and construction

industries. Tender feeds are uploaded daily. MERX suppliers
can then search these aggregated tenders on the network.
D. Tender Documents
Tender feeds come in the form of files or can be uploaded
interactively online. These files contain abstracts that are
categorized and displayed on the Web site. Along with this
summary information, additional documents are provided.
These are usually the tender detailed documentation,
amendments, blue prints, etc. Sometimes, physical items, like
samples, can be provided.
The MERX Distribution Unit (MDU) receives all these
collaterals. It validates the information and handles the
documentation. MERX users can place orders to print a given
subset of documents and have them sent via courier, mail,
pick-up, etc. Document handling and distribution is MDU’s
mandate.
E. The MERX Revenue Model
MERX drives its revenues from different sources. Several
subscription and pay-per-use packages are available,
somewhat similar to the other networks. What sets this
network apart, though, is its relationship with the federal
government.
The federal government originally solicited this e-
Tendering initiative, through which the MERX Web site was
created. By law, the government required its internal services
to use this technology to publish any tender over a certain
threshold dollar value. The actual tender for this e-Tendering
initiative (not to be confused with tenders published on
MERX) issued by the government requested that proposals
include three different business model scenarios. Bidders had
to come up with a solution for all three to be eligible.
The solution selected, MERX, was designed against one of
these three scenarios, and later adopted a ‘hybrid’ model.
Under this model, MERX, a private entity, is partially
subsidized by the government. In virtue of freedom of access
to government public tenders, MERX provides its members a
no-cost option for these opportunities. Anyone can search
federal government bids and electronically preview the
information. This privilege though, is restricted to federal
bids.
Despite this constraint, the look and feel of the Web site
does not have to match that of the government’s. MERX also
had the option to add non-federal tenders, if it so wished. This
is obviously the case today with the Private Tendering service.
However, access to other tenders, such as those issued by
provinces, MASH and private sector, all require a billable
membership.
Physical items, such as printed versions of the tender
documents, can be ordered through the MDU, providing
additional fees.
Electronic versions of these documents can be downloaded
from MERX as well. This service is free. However, by
bringing additional value to MERX subscribers, it also creates
traffic on the Web site, generates interest and represents an
opportunity to cross or up-sell other services.
F. Challenges
MERX, along with other Mediagrif e-Tendering networks
demonstrate that information aggregation does have
substantial value. MERX has become the main hub around
which the government, suppliers and private buyers
communicate. Part of it is due to the fact that MERX was
originally a government initiative. It brings with it several
thousand members who need to use MERX if they want to
access government contracts.
This situation brings interesting challenges. First, the
government has a say in defining the content of the MERX
Web site. This is especially true when it comes to modifying
the user interface of the Web site. The members are used to a
given look and feel and changing it has the potential to
generate a negative reaction from them. There are businesses
that access MERX and make a living out of the contracts they
get from the government. So you cannot easily change the
way they work unless it is carefully planned – and properly
approved.
MERX is facing a similar issue with the revenue model.
The government participates in setting the membership fee,
and the basic access is free. So from that standpoint, the
revenue growth has to come from alternate sources.
As we have seen, several packages offer additional value to
the member. Most members use one or more of these services
already. Marketing and sales activities help in selling these
services.
The next natural step is to implement an electronic bid
submission system. This feature would extend MERX’s reach
within the supplier’s business process and add substantial
value to a large number of members. Another initiative could
be, at the government level, to offer support for tenders other
than those above the threshold value. As well, ramping up the
provinces and bringing them on MERX is also an interesting
option.
The other side of MERX, the private side, is another sector
from which growth is generated. Both large corporations as
well as SMEs contribute to this growth. In fact, the private
tendering is a good example of how existing business models
can be extended and leveraged to generate a parallel revenue
stream.
On a final note, this model can be replicated and exported
so that other countries could benefit from it. Of particular
interest, implementation of e-Tendering systems in third world
countries could contribute to lower the level of corruption
related to government contract granting. The Philippines
Procurement Service Web site, built on the MERX
technology, is an example.

IV. AN INTEGRATED B2B NETWORK / PROCUREMENT SYSTEM:
GLOBAL WINE AND SPIRITS [3]
Global Wine & Spirits (GWS) is a network in the wine and
spirits industry. It is made of modules, each one addressing
various aspects of this industry. GWS has a greater reach and
scope than traditional B2B networks as its mission goes
beyond simply linking a buyer with a seller.
TABLE III
GLOBAL WINE & SPIRITS (AS OF JUNE, 2005)
Industry Wine and Spirits
Year Launched 2000
No. of Members Approx. 1,000
No. of Opened “Call for Tenders” and
“Spot Market Place” Offers
Approx. 400 at any time
No. of Visits (member) / Month Approx. 11,000
Reach
Approx. 60 countries. Site
translated in 5 languages.
Customer service in 13 languages
A. The Global Wine & Spirits Network
Four major actors play a role within GWS. First, the
suppliers (wine producers) provide their product description
and inventory. Supplier sizes can range from small family
enterprises, listing only a handful of wine products with a low
volume, to large enterprises with mass production volumes.
The buyers are ranging in size from small hotels and
restaurants up to monopolistic corporations (e.g. Société des
alcools du Québec - SAQ) looking for wine sourcing or
purchasing. Agents play a role similar to that of BF, i.e.
brokerage. Finally, freight forwarders provide logistic and
transportation services.
The broad range of company sizes along with GWS’s reach
call for tiered services.
1) The Call for Tenders and Spot Market Place Functions
The Call for Tender (CFT) section is a dynamic listing of
requests for quotes for wine and spirits. For each request, a
link leads to the detailed information page, where the user can
issue a response by providing a quote. CFT have duration in
time, similar to auctions.
The Spot Market Place (SMP) function does exactly the
opposite. Suppliers list their featured products hoping to find a
buyer for the goods.
2) The World Wide Product Directory
Essentially, the World Wide Product Directory (WWPD) is
an electronic product catalogue, fed and maintained by
suppliers and GWS’s customer support.
Products can be described with a significant number of
attributes, such as alcohol percentage, format, type of wine,
contest ratings, etc. Along with the product descriptions, a
label’s photograph can also be attached.
Wine and Spirits items are searchable by members, which,
most of the time are looking for products, or searching for
suppliers for sourcing purposes. But members are not the only
one searching for products. Search engines are also crawling
the Web site. This brings additional and desirable visibility to
GWS suppliers.
3) The Member Web Sites
If they so desire, members can have their own specific
zone, or Web site within GWS. They can add a short company
description and promote their own products. This feature is
particularly valuable for small producers, as it provides a
personalized Web presence at low cost and virtually no effort.
Another collateral benefit is the visibility it brings, as these
Web sites get to be crawled often by major search engines.
4) The Wine Traders Club
The Wine Traders Club (WTC) is a somewhat different
service. While being part of the GWS offer, it is not linked to
the network. It addresses a different market segment, the fine
and rare wines market. While GWS allows wine producers to
connect directly with buyers, WTC is rather a community of
intermediaries (brokers, wine merchants, distributors) acting
in a secondary market. As GWS is more oriented towards high
volume market, the WTC complements this offer.
The WTC is a membership based network, although it
does accommodate non-member visitors. These guests can
post offers on WTC. The reach of WTC therefore exceeds the
B2B limits because it opens the door to B2C activities.
5) The Integrated Transport Tracking
A sophisticated transport-tracking module (ITT) integrates
large buyers with major wine freight forwarders. Transport
orders can be created on GWS, along with the purchase
orders. The transport order specifies the goods to be delivered,
the source, the destination, and the packaging information.
The freight forwarder provides the routing and logistic
required to fulfill the order.
Using this hub, the freight forwarders transmit feedback to
the buyers so they can track their orders. If required, the
buyers can also extract detailed error conditions and take
action on them by sending back a response.
B. The SAQB2B Procurement System
Liquor distribution in the province of Québec is legislated
at the provincial level and restricted so that only the SAQ can
sell wine and spirits. The SAQ had a need to improve its
technological infrastructure and helped GWS shape the
network. The SAQ has been a GWS partner from the start.
The SAQ benefits from GWS in that the network
provides access to their suppliers, electronically, and because
it brings procurement functionality. Initially, the SAQ wanted
all its suppliers to become a member of the GWS network so
that purchase transactions would be issued exclusively using
this channel. Funneling all purchase orders through GWS
would streamline and simplify the procurement process.
However, because of pressure from the suppliers and for
ethical reasons the SAQ had to abandon the idea. Instead, it
would provide its own private procurement portal, and offer a
free access to its suppliers - hence the creation of the

SAQB2B portal.
The SAQB2B portal is built on the GWS technology
framework. The SAQ manages its own subset of suppliers
themselves, using the portal tools. The GWS content team is
responsible to import inventory items from the suppliers and
to feed the portal catalog.
The portal is coupled to the SAQ’s internal system,
enabling data exchanges with the suppliers. For example, a
typical purchase order transaction is created by SAQ’s
personnel or automatically generated by the SAQ’s internal
systems. This transaction is forwarded via an XML file to the
SAQB2B portal. The supplier will be notified of this purchase
order through an email or fax, and will respond to it via
electronic data interchange (EDI) or simply by login into the
portal. If an agent participated in the transaction, he will also
be notified.
C. Other Related Portals
GWS has the industry knowledge and the technology to
address different initiatives that come up. Its infrastructure has
been in place for years, and the mechanisms and hooks to link
to enterprise systems have been proven and used every day.
Also, from a content management standpoint, thousands of
suppliers have been providing their inventory. This expertise
makes GWS an attractive solution provider for many
businesses in the wine industry. As a result, GWS extended its
business model and launched its GWS eBusiness Solution
initiative. This group undertook two private portal projects so
far:
1) Bordeaux-Aquitaine portal
The Bordeaux-Aquitaine portal regroups 120 wine
producers from this region. This group owns the portal and the
Web pages’ content are under their own responsibility.
Products uploading and searching uses the GWS
infrastructure, and by means of data syndication, product
pages can be displayed with a distinct Bordeaux-Aquitaine
look and feel on their own portal.
2) Grands Chais de France Portal
A major producer and first French wine exporter, Grands
Chais de France, wanted a portal so they could show their
products to their distributor network. Sales representatives
would then be able to place orders on the portal. Grands
Chais de France is also EDI enabled and orders are sent
directly into their internal systems.
D. Operations
Similar to BF, GWS relied on a sound operational strategy.
Here again, a team of customer service representatives is
working around the clock and speaking many languages to
reach a worldwide territory.
During its start-up and emerging phases “cold calling” was
the main member recruiting activity. CSRs called businesses
from lists of companies. Although this is still an essential
activity, GWS introduced new marketing vehicles, such as
their “Newsletter” flyer, that helped reduce the need for cold
calls. Printed and electronic versions of this flyer are sent on a
regular basis to a large number of recipients (both members
and prospects).
The “Newsletters” along with CFTs and SMPs have
contributed significantly to the growth of GWS. The CFTs,
which are essentially lists of “want to buy” ads, is an attractive
feature for suppliers. As a consequence, GWS is now
receiving an increasing number of incoming calls from
businesses interested to join the network.
GWS also invests considerable efforts in promoting the
network. GWS takes part in several trade shows around the
world, is sponsoring major events and is partnering in wine
contests.
E. The GWS Revenue Model
GWS is driving its revenues mainly from its business
solutions division although growth also comes from member
subscriptions. The value added services, such as the member’s
Web sites and the WTC, are also contributing.
GWS provides to its members optional data aggregation
services. These include digital assets acquisition, photographic
work and integration of this information on the network.
Finally, integrations to internal systems are yet another
revenue source.
F. Challenges
GWS had a hard time fine tuning its business model. It
took longer than other initiatives to reach maturity. The GWS
network was initially designed against the more simple and
straightforward business model of BF. It proved not entirely
applicable as is.
The wine industry is one of culture and tradition. Trying to
introduce computers and Internet in this world is an audacious
task. Although benefits are numerous (after all, this is a
fragmented market, international by nature, producers could
use more visibility, etc.) the initial low level of adoption
slowed the growth of the network.
Wine traders and agents felt threaten by the network,
fearing they would loose their role in this multiple-century old
industry.
Clearly, GWS was ahead of its time.
Today, as this network is getting more imbedded with the
wine industry processes, new challenges are faced. The
question of allowing visitors and end-user buyers (consumers)
is still pending. New ways of providing increased visibility to
suppliers need to be found.
Nonetheless, after 5 years in operations, this network has
won the recognition from the industry and it has become the
largest wine-trading platform. It is the only network with such
a broad and complete offer in the wine market today.

V. A COMMUNITY BASED B2B NETWORK: POLYGON [4]
The Polygon Trading Network (Polygon) is a membership-
based Web site providing an environment for business-to-
business trading and communicating between jewelry industry
retailers, suppliers, and related groups. Among other
resources, its key features are: Four searchable databases of
products (diamonds, colored stones, jewelry, and watches) in
which members post inventories and search for specific items,
and; An extensive list of functionalities for sending and
receiving messages between jewelry dealers. Typically these
messages are requests to buy or sell specific items of
merchandise (trading channels) or are contributions to
ongoing discussions involving industry topics (discussion
channels).
TABLE IV
POLYGON (AS OF JUNE, 2005)
Industry
Diamonds, Colored Stones, Jewelry and
Watches
Year Launched
1984 (Internet presence since 1996),
Acquired by Mediagrif in 2004
No. of Members Approx. 3000
No. of Visits
(member)/Month
Approx. 36,000 visits/month
Reach US market, mostly
The history of Polygon dates back way before the Internet
era. The need for linking sellers and buyers in this industry
was recognized by its founder more than 30 years ago. This
business took many shapes during that period and moved from
a listing based system, relying on slow modem connections to
a BBS style download service, then to a complete interactive
network on the Internet. Of the four networks presented in
this paper Polygon has the oldest members.
A. The Polygon Trading Network
Polygon provides all the necessary features that need to be
assembled to make up a comprehensive and effective B2B
network.
1) Message Center
The Polygon Message Center is a telecommunication
network for sending and receiving messages between jewelry
dealers.
Most of the activity that occurs on the Message Center
consists of messages posted from one subscriber to the rest of
the network. Broadcast type messages are sent over various
channels. For example, if you were to send a message
advertising a watch for sale, you would send it over the
channel called “Watches for Sale”, which is abbreviated WS.
Most of the channels are set aside for buying and selling
merchandise. Others are for non-trading purposes, such as
business discussion, conversation, information, etc. Channels
have been created to give those who aren’t interested in
certain subjects the ability to skip past them.
2) Content Management
This group of features can be used in Polygon to support
vendor operations. Vendors can update their inventory
information at any time and from any desktop Web browser,
provided they have the proper authorization to do so.
There are currently four databases on Polygon that allow
members to offer large quantities of jewelry related goods for
sale, in a list format that can then be searched conveniently by
buyers.
These databases are:
• The CertNet database - which lists loose diamonds for
sale
• The JewelryNet database – which lists finished jewelry
for sale
• The ColorNet database – which lists colored stones for
sale
• The WatchNet database – which lists watches for sale
3) Search Functionality
This group of features allows buyers to search through the
content of the different databases to find the products that they
are looking for.
The search interface for Polygon databases was developed
in very similar ways to offer the same functionality to help
members switch easily between the different databases.
B. The Community
The diamond and jewelry industry is an old institution that
carries its own traditions. Therefore the introduction of the
Polygon network was quite disruptive. However, it allowed
members to access a wealth of opportunities, especially those
coming from the secondary market (stones bought on the
street rather than from wholesalers). The electronic platform
eventually became a must-have because this market is
fragmented and opportunities are spread across the country.
Indeed, Polygon helps numerous jewelry retailers sell and buy
stones with good profit margin.
Discussion forums provide these members a
communication channel for their business exchanges. As there
are many areas of interests, several channels are available,
ranging from trade related discussions to casual chats.
The Polygon network is a powerful tool but cannot replace
a face-to-face meeting. To complement activities on the Web
site, Polygon holds industry meetings, appropriately called
“conclaves”, so that members can have the opportunity to
meet each other. More than any other network, Polygon is a
community-based network.
Today, Polygon covers a large cross section of the
industry, and has become the tool of the trade for many
businesses.
C. The Vetting Process
As one might expect, transactions negotiated on the
Polygon network can reach high prices. This is the reason why
members triggered the implementation of a vetting process, so

that Polygon memberships would be granted to those who are
trusted in the industry.
A separate business entity, called TradeLock Password
Protection (TradeLock), was created. TradeLock is a
universal password protection system for jewelry industry
Web sites. For such B2B Web sites, TradeLock provides a
way to ensure that only verified members of the trade are
allowed access. For members of the jewelry industry, a single
TradeLock ID provides access to many trade-restricted
jewelry industry sites, including Polygon.
The TradeLock accounts are created based on a manual
vetting process. Once the applicant gets approved, its
TradeLock ID is generated and can then be used to access the
various sites that are protected via TradeLock.
Joining Polygon is a distinct process. Once TradeLock
enabled, the company can subscribe to Polygon and then
access the Web site.
Today, members would like to see a similar vetting process
to TradeLock’s, within Polygon, to improve how applicants
become members.
Currently, there are two schools of thoughts on how this
process could be implemented. First, there is the thorough
check at the gate, preventing non-appropriate applicants to
even become members of Polygon. Candidate members would
submit to a fairly rigorous process regarding credit-
worthiness, years in business, good references, etc. The
second method calls for providing more information about the
member, so to inform the community about the member’s
track record. This later option offers some advantages. It is
somewhat more liberal, in the sense that it allows more users
the opportunity to join the network. It also provides members
enough tools to have them take their own decisions on
whether or not they want to do business with a given member.
D. Operations
As it is the case with the other networks, Polygon monitors
the Web site activity. Some simple but key metrics are
routinely evaluated such as the number of times a user logs on
the Web site and the number of message postings. This gives
an empirical measure of the Web site activity. Feedback is
also obtained by moderating the various discussion channels.
A CSR team is dedicated to Polygon. In the early days,
support calls were more technology oriented, since modem
connections were less reliable and more complex than using
the Internet. Today, more time is spent promoting and giving a
hand on using the Web site or helping with dispute
resolutions.
On the sales side several channels are used to promote and
sell Polygon. Direct mail, telemarketing and word of mouth
are all standard methods similar to those used by other
networks. The distinctive element encountered with Polygon
is the good relationship it maintains with publishers of
magazines from the industry. Polygon was able to get national
advertising and it helped create its good reputation and reach
the critical mass, largely because of barter exchanges with the
trade publications.
E. Revenue Model
Most of Polygon’s revenues come from membership fees.
Additional revenues also come from other sources such as
banner ads.
F. Challenges
Polygon has faced stiff competition from the day it opened.
However, its competitors have generally been short lived.
Since its inception, Polygon has fought off over two dozen
competitors. Most of them lasted three years or less before
going out of business.
Polygon has had a relative long existence and went through
several technology shifts and trends with success. It did so by
demonstrating flexibility and adaptability. Today, most of the
challenges Polygon is facing are related to the evolution of the
Internet and the way it impacted electronic commerce:
• As a result of the universal access to the Internet, the
procurement chain is shrinking. More and more
consumers have the perception that mark-ups are high
in the jewelry industry and that they are better off
buying directly from the wholesalers. This means
buyers are slowly bypassing retailers. The long-term
impact of this trend is still unclear, therefore
addressing this market segment is challenging.
• Increased competition from major Internet players may
represent a threat. Auction based Web sites offer all
kinds of goods and they have become quite popular.
How this might effect a community-based network
focused on a given industry is yet unknown.
• Today, buyers are usually given free access to
networks, while sellers pay for the service. Polygon’s
revenue model may need to be revisited accordingly.
• Large companies and mass merchandisers market
segment is an opportunity that should not be
overlooked. Polygon needs to find ways to provide
these enterprises enough value to bring them onboard.
Polygon’s membership today is largely made up of
independent retailers, plus wholesalers, but does not
include the mass merchandisers.
• The free trial membership (similar to what Broker
Forum uses) is a good selling tool. However, because
of the current vetting process, this is problematic for
Polygon.
• Polygon is expanding its reach and is now addressing
the Asian market.
VI. CONCLUSION
The Mediagrif business model is quite unique because it
allows side-by-side network comparison and provides a good
opportunity to experience electronic commerce in various

industries. This knowledge is shared amongst the networks
and efficient synergy can take place.
To conclude, here are some findings:
A. Lessons Learned
1) The industry knowledge is an asset
Although some networks were able to grow and succeed
with little or no initial industry knowledge, this is no longer
possible today. The market is more demanding and member
expectation increases with time. As a result, the industry
knowledge is inevitable, and some fundamental parameters
need to be known:
a) Product Characteristics
Since products are likely to be the cornerstone of the
network, their characteristics are of primal interest. Product
information can be roughly segregated in two categories: the
catalog information and the inventories. Catalogs contain the
product definition, its characteristics, specifications, attributes,
etc., while inventories assign a quantity and a price to the
product.
Product information does impact the network’s business
model. It will drive how the products get loaded on the
system, maintained, displayed and searched. Also related is
the product uniqueness. As an example, BF’s electronic
components need not be catalogued and described with
several attributes. Usually, only a product part number will
suffice. Therefore BF utilizes only inventories. GWS is at the
other end of the spectrum. Bottles of wine need several
attributes (such as color, grape type, region, etc.) and can be
searched using any of them.
The price/weight ratio is another good example of a
product attribute. The price/weight ratio for a container of
wine is low compared to a box of electronic chips. This is why
logistic and shipping issues are so important to GWS.
Data volume and refresh frequencies can also vary
considerably from one network to another.
b) Transaction Characteristics
The nature of the business transactions performed on the
network also contributes to shaping the business model. It
starts by identifying if the network will primarily be used for
sourcing (as it is the case with a majority of GWS members),
for procurement (e.g. SAQB2B, Polygon) or if it will be used
to post tenders (MERX).
Another factor to evaluate is the time to transaction. Using
the same example as above, we observe that sourcing and
ordering a crate of wine may take several months, while
purchasing electronic components may take minutes. The
transaction cycle and follow-up will therefore be different for
each network.
Transaction security and privacy may be critical for a
network, while being not so important for another.
Finally, some market niches require more exploration
before reaching maturity and may end up being too soon or
too late to market. A partnership with an industry player
maybe desirable and can quickly become an asset (e.g. GWS
and SAQ).
2) Business models cannot be blindly cloned
Besides those mentioned in the previous section, business
models depend on several factors, such as: the community, the
industry, the size of enterprises targeted, the market
fragmentation, etc. Properly tuning a business model is
challenging and may take time. GWS started up with the
assumption that a BF style business model would probably
work in the wine-sourcing context. This is a case in point that
business models cannot be cloned with the expectation of
reaching the same level of adoption and immediate success.
3) The human factor is important
One of the lessons learned was that commerce is human by
nature and as such cannot be replaced by technology. The
electronic commerce is merely a tool to bring additional
business or to improve business processes.
As seen in the mid ‘90s with Enterprise Resource Planning
systems, the technology is slowly becoming more of a
commodity than a goal. Members are shaping the networks,
not the other way around. The e-Commerce focus today is
oriented towards providing additional visibility through SEO
techniques, better and trendy user interfaces, and up-to-date
information. Obviously, to achieve these objectives, the
technology aspect is critical, but is no longer the main
differentiator, as it was 5 or 10 years ago.
Feedback mechanisms are increasing in popularity as it
helps securing a transaction with a new business partner. This
is bringing the network one step closer to human nature – by
providing tools to evaluate a seller’s (or buyer’s) reputation.
Protecting the members is probably the most important added
value service.
4) Good network operation is a success factor
A B2B network is a business, and needs to be constantly
monitored. Fortunately, tools such as data warehouses and
Web monitoring software can provide lots of metrics to
measure the network trends. Traditional methods of reaching
the members or promote the network are also invaluable.
It takes years before a network dominates the market. But
once this mark is set, it is difficult to move members from one
network to a competing one. As an example, in the late ‘90s,
one of Polygon’s competitors network tried to dominate the
same market, pouring in considerable resources. Because of
members being pleased and satisfied with Polygon, the
competing initiative failed, and members remained on
Polygon. That should not prevent constant vigilance however,
as today major players have become bigger and their visibility
on the Internet is increasing.
5) The buyers rule
There is a natural tendency for buyers to expect a free
access to any Internet service. This trend is observed on the
Internet in general and is becoming more and more present, as
more consumers want to access wholesalers directly.

6) The revenue model is evolving
The revenue model is evolving, influenced by various
external factors shaping the network, but also because the
Internet is slowly imposing trends. Pay-per-click options are
being adopted as many Internet services have popularized this
option.
Value Added Services need to be introduced on a regular
basis to complement the offer and keep up with the
competition. That being said, the bottom line is that additional
value is good, but additional business is even better.
7) Supporting various business models and vertical
markets require an agile technological infrastructure
The four networks presented here demonstrate how deep
into business processes they have delved. The network’s
ramifications go beyond the Web to reach the members in
various ways, depending on the industry, the nature of the link
between the members and the network, and the members’
needs. They also address different vertical markets.
This complex and dynamic environment influences the
technology strategy.
The software and hardware infrastructure has to be flexible
to provide the level of agility required to support the
networks. In particular, the software development strategy is
crucial. At Mediagrif, a software development team owns the
responsibility of creating this infrastructure. Most of the
software has been developed in-house. Having the ownership
of your own technology brings the autonomy and flexibility
needed.
The software infrastructure is based on industry standards,
when seen fit, and sometimes uses commercial components or
open source code. Technology choices need to be taken
diligently.
B. Challenges
Each network has its own priorities and challenges, as
mentioned in their respective sections, but most of these share
a common ground.
The networks are exposed to competition from other
“cloned” Web sites. Although it is difficult to gather a
sufficient number of members to reach critical mass,
competing sites can potentially solicit members from
Mediagrif’s networks to switch over to their own. The
Internet, while providing a unique entry point to the B2B
electronic commerce, has in some way sanitized the access to
information. As a result, customer loyalty is hard to acquire
and constant efforts are needed to maintain a good retention
rate.
Major sites, such as eBay and Google also represent a
potential threat or opportunity, as they have started to address
the B2B market space.
New technologies can provide additional benefits, but at
the same time may create new challenges. One such example
is the Real Simple Syndication (RSS) technology. RSS feeds
syndicate information to those who subscribe to this service.
Web sites, by adopting this new standard, simplify the process
of acquiring information for the Web users and could, in some
cases, question the need for information aggregation
networks. Networks based on an information aggregation
business model may need to factor this in.
C. Next Steps
Each network has its own business plan, and objectives are
set accordingly. However, at a more global level, Mediagrif
identified certain business areas that would be addressed in
the coming year.
First, the Asian market represents an undeniable potential
and some networks, such as Broker Forum and Polygon have
already strengthen their presence in this region of the world.
More is to come during 2006.
Mediagrif, through its pool of B2B networks, inherits
thousands of companies as customers. Expansion of current
business models is a natural path to increase revenues and
opportunities. One of them is to address cross selling between
industries.
On the technology side, constant efforts are made to
consolidate the expertise and resources so that a central
application can serve multiple networks. New technologies
will be introduced and bring additional value to the world of
the B2B networks.
VII. SUMMARY
This paper presents an overview of four established B2B
networks. Key functionalities are laid out to describe these
networks, to bring out their respective business model
characteristics and to ultimately demonstrate lessons learned
and industry trends.
This case study is by no mean complete and no formal
scientific methodology was followed to write it up. Rather, it
is based on the author’s field experience and on interviews
conducted with various players from these networks.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author wishes to thank all those who spent time
reviewing this paper.
REFERENCES
[1] Mediagrif Interactive Technologies, The Broker Forum,
http://www.brokerforum.com
[2] Mediagrif Interactive Technologies, MERX, http://www.merx.com
[3] Mediagrif Interactive Technologies and Société des Alcools du Québec,
Global Wine and Spirits, http://www.globalwinespirits.com
[4] Mediagrif Interactive Technologies, The Polygon Trading Network,
http://www.polygon.net

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