B2C online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, etc., have dominated the B2B marketplace for a long time. But recently, B2B marketplaces have started gaining traction across the world. It is a wake-up call for B2B stakeholders and shareholders to start building their presence and selling their products on B2B marketplaces. It is also a massive international growth opportunity for businesses.
When it comes to Europe, more businesses are selling their products/services to other businesses. Studies state:
- There are now 300+ B2B marketplaces in Europe compared to only 20 in 2010.
- More than ten marketplaces of these have raised over €50 million.
- Four of these, viz. Circle, ManoMano, Meero, and TravelPerk, have raised over €100 million.
- European B2B marketplaces have raised over €3 billion, and the number continues to grow.
If we talk about eCommerce, B2B eCommerce marketplaces overshadow other market segments. In some EU countries, B2B marketplaces represent up to 90% of eCommerce sales. Here are a few prominent, successful, and noteworthy marketplaces within the growing B2B marketplace landscape in Europe.
1. Scoutbee
Scoutbee is a B2B marketplace for goods procurement and supply chain. They leverage technology like Big Data and AI to speed up a company’s search for suppliers. They have shortened the procurement process from 2-3 weeks to a mere two days.
How, you might ask?
They have mapped out a global manufacturing supply chain and have established themselves as one of the top B2B marketplaces. Several big brands like Audi and Airbus use their solutions.
2. Sennder
Sennder is a Europe-based digital road freight forwarder. Their businesses focus on connecting carriers to shippers. In 2020, Sennder dominated the European freight industry through a merger with French competitor Everoad and the complete acquisition of the European operations of Uber Freight.
It recently partnered with Scania, a renowned heavy vehicle manufacturer. Sennder consists of 800 employees and seven international offices. They bagged a series D funding worth 160 million dollars at a $1 billion+ valuation. The freight industry values €400bn, and Sennder is ready for even bigger things in the coming years.
Interesting Fact:
Europe has seen a significant rise in the B2B marketplaces catering to the logistics industry. Be it express air freight services, ocean freight, or road freight—you will find a marketplace for them all. The general business model is to connect companies that need to send goods with carriers and shippers available around them.
Besides this, you will also find various B2B marketplaces that connect warehouse providers with companies that need storage space.
3. eWorldTrade
eWorldTrade is a platform for B2B users as it stands amongst the top 5 marketplaces globally for buyers, sellers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and distributors. With services in nearly 195 countries worldwide and 10,000 niche markets—the marketplace is a reliable and secure gateway for businesses looking to escalate and attract the right kind of limelight.
In the third quarter of 2021, the platform crossed over a million users and announced the launch of a new mobile application to serve an advanced and prolific experience for its users. Traders onboard have found the update to be more than satisfactory.
4. Amazon Business
Amazon business is one of the leading B2B brands and a giant in Europe. Any brand can register with Amazon business and start its eCommerce business.
Throughout Europe, Amazon has a network of 31 fulfillment centers across seven countries. Amazon offers extended membership benefits with services like Amazon Video, the Kindle owners’ lending library, Prime Music, and Amazon Drive.
You can look for hire Magento developer to build e-shops offering a single line of products like magic mushrooms shop, or multiple ranges of products like De Telegraaf Webshop and Elsevier.
5. Meero
Meero specializes in providing a platform that helps connect photographers to customers who need professional photographs for their eCommerce stores. They also provide a tech solution that has enhanced photo editing capabilities. It has one of the highest venture valuations among French companies and is a must-know B2B marketplace.
It uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to cut the time needed for professional post-processing. It helped them reduce the time from hours or days to mere seconds. Until 2019, Meero had 31,000 clients in 100+ countries and 58,000 photographers on their marketplace platform.
6. TravelPerk
Pioneering the future of corporate Travel, TravelPerk is a next-generation travel booking and management platform. TravelPerk aims to lower the cost of business expenses and increase customer convenience.
Having no travel agents in their business is what makes them unique. It has convinced many customers to engage in their business activities. As a result, the platform has conveniently grown over the past few years. Between 2017 and 2019, TravelPerk increased its revenue by 700% and achieved a growing client base of up to 1000 companies.
Check out their marketplace here.
Bonus: Marketplace by WooCommerce
Marketplace is a modern WooCommerce theme for creating multi-vendor eCommerce websites like Amazon, Etsy, Prestashop, etc. It operates as a regular eCommerce website and provides you with flexible customization. Anybody can start a multi-seller eCommerce website using this platform.
Did You Know?
If you have a WooCommerce store and want to convert it into a B2B marketplace like Alibaba, DHgate, etc., you can do it using a WooCommerce B2B marketplace plugin. It will create a digital platform where B2B buyers and sellers worldwide can connect and conduct business transactions with each other.
Visit their demo site here.
Final Thoughts
So these were some of the best B2B marketplaces in Europe that can help your business propel its ventures. You can select a marketplace depending on your needs and find reliable business partners to accelerate your business growth.
For more helpful ecommerce strategies and tactics, check out further topics in our WooCommerce tutorials.
