Last fall, a study on German B2B-platforms that we conducted for the BDI was published and is available here (English, external link) or here (German, external link). In the meantime, the topic has garnered considerable interest, with chances to present our results in Berlin and Brussels and interviews by publications focused on practitioners.
The atmosphere surrounding online platforms is — again — highly charged. The study highlights central differences between B2B-platforms (where businesses interact with each other) and their B2C “cousins”, based on current economic research. Further, we present 10 detailed case studies of German B2B platforms from three areas: “classical” marketplaces, data marketplaces and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). We highlight both success factors, as well as factors that limit the effectiveness of network effects.