پورتال های B2B مبتنی بر وب

A portal development frenzy is sweeping through commerce in an attempt to capture the growing business-to-business (B2B) Internet market. However, the very tactics employed to attract users have blurred the significance and, consequently, the effective utilization of portals in B2B strategies. This research analyzes the development of portals to propose a classification based on the informational/transactional, horizontal/vertical, and public/private dimensions of portals. Clarification of portal dimensions should provide B2B marketing managers with a superior focus in the production of efficient portal strategies for achieving business objectives. Strategic implications for acquiring and maintaining users and a five-step approach for developing an effective B2B portal strategy are presented.

Web-based portals, the gateways through which business clients enter the web to connect to desired Internet locations, are no longer a novelty in the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace. Because of the increasing numbers of business clients making use of these web-based locations, there is a frenzy transpiring in the virtual world of business marketers competing to develop portals for their business and retail customers [1]. “In the 2000's, the word could very well be portals” [2, p. 36]. Forrester recently projected that B2B e-commerce in the US would hit US$2.7 trillion in 2004 with 53% flowing through portals [3]. Additionally, the device/platform-independent nature of a web browser further enhances the importance of portals to the business marketer as they are destined to replace Windows infrastructures as the desktop choice for some users [4]. Web users are also flocking to portals as they find them to be invaluable tools. The concept of a portal to the Internet is here to stay … seven of the top 10 most heavily trafficked Web properties are portals whose number of unique monthly visitors has been growing constantly … they're the best way for new users to familiarize themselves with the Web. [5, p. 32] As web-based portals continue to expand, their significance to B2B marketing increases. “Portals are the most valuable land on the Web.… About 90% of Internet traffic goes to 10% of the Web sites, and portals are the largest shareholders of that traffic” [6, p. 16]. Additionally, about 15% of all web page-view traffic goes through the top nine portals [7]. This heavy traffic flow gives the portal a unique position for reaching business customers and allows business marketers, who understand the working of the portal itself, the opportunity to integrate this valuable web-based tool into a coherent corporate B2B marketing strategy. B2B marketing is particularly attracted to portals because the latter provide customers with access to three of the Internet C's: content, commerce and community [8]. Portals are becoming a mainstream commercial tool as companies find them to be an effective way to improve customer service, communicate between managers, reduce training costs, streamline expenses, and serve as alternative transaction locations [9] and [10]. Even the developmental process of a B2B portal has benefits to the company: … it can sometimes take years before a company perfects its portal marketing strategy. But, in the meantime, the company is strengthening its brand presence, acquiring customers, collecting valuable research in demographic information and, in most cases, blocking its competitors from enjoying the same benefits. [5, p. 32] Portals also offer companies the opportunity for revenue generation. Business organizations investing in the development of a web-based portal may seek to generate revenues by either (1) having vendors pay to advertise, (2) sharing in revenues from transactions and/or (3) charging users directly for subscription or usage [8]. Baker [9] succinctly explain the unique economies of the portal: Portals attract many more visitors, which in turn attracts more advertisers. This increases the advertisement revenue which the web page owners can use to improve the quality of free information available to web surfers. This in turn attracts more visitors and the cycle goes on. It is the basic mechanism that gives rise to portals. [11, p. 166] The race to exploit these unparalleled revenue opportunities fuels the progress to formulate B2B portals. Initially, the cost of portal applications restrained many companies from embarking on these projects. However, with the increased capabilities and low cost of recently introduced portal software, more and more companies are finding it economically viable to exercise this new technology. Although developmental costs may appear high, the revenue enhancement and cost containment opportunities are attracting a growing number of organizations toward portals. Since portal undertakings can enhance the overall profitability of a company, the understanding and implementation of proper portal strategies must be employed to maximize the likelihood of success. “The bottom line is that if a company is going to invest its precious capital in a portal deal, then it had better be in it for the long haul. Contrary to the buzz on the street, portals do provide a high return on investment and numerous other benefits that can, over time, offset the initial cost” [5, p. 32]. However, only the most effective B2B portals will achieve these investment goals.

There is little denying that web-based portals can become an important feature in an overall B2B marketing strategy. However, as portals begin to proliferate in the web, competition for viewers will correspondingly become more intense. “While the major portals are expected to keep growing, they may never achieve true monopoly status on the fragmented Internet” [7, p. 150]. There is only room for one or two successful portals in each subject category [23]. Portals must become strategic in order to fit the overall long-term objectives of the B2B marketing program. Simply having a portal is not enough. Proactive approaches are necessary to attract and maintain viewers amongst the varied types of portals available. In summary, this paper provides initial guidance for marketing mangers on how to integrate web-based portals into B2B strategy formulation. A process for effective B2B portal development was introduced with the five key stages of define, design, develop, deliver, and defend the portal. Marketing managers play important roles in all stages of the portal's development. The factors that compose a productive web-based B2B portal strategy and the development process provide practical techniques for managing and integrating B2B portals into their corporate marketing efforts. This research also has important implications for marketing managers, which include (1) the type of portal developed must conform to the business objectives of the organization, (2) portal success will be a function of content, flexibility, and customization, (3) systemic portal strategy development, patterning the “Five D's” process, will ensure the efficient utilization of organizational resources, and (4) since the primary measures of portal success are high levels of user acquisition and retention, only those sites that attract and maintain the desired target audience and build valuable customer relationships will have the potential for long-term success. Even private/informational portals, to become successful, must entice busy employees to alter well-established informational search habits. With the emergence of an ever-increasing number of B2B portals, acquisition, and retention of the targeted user will become even more difficult. In the future, portal growth will slow, sites will consolidate, and only the portals that achieve organizational objectives will remain economically justifiable.