B-to-B Companies Attribute $1 in $6 to Internet Presence

A new industry report says that business-to-business companies that market
online attribute one in six revenue dollars, or 17 percent of total business
revenues, to their Internet presence.

Most of this contribution to business success was generated in less than
three years — the average time online for B-to-B marketers in the study was
just 2.67 years, said the report from ActivMEDIA Research.

The recently released study, “The Real Numbers Behind The Online
Business-To-Business Industry” (September 1999), documents operating
characteristics of online businesses that market to other businesses.

The study also found that average growth rates among B-to-B online businesses
are very high — individual company expectations are for Web generated
business to increase by over 500 percent between 1998 and 2000.

A majority of B-to-B marketers (59 percent) conduct sales online, but few are
solely online businesses (8 percent). Most (92 percent) market through
traditional channels.

For half (51 percent) online sales represent supplemental business
that complements off-line sales channels, while at two in five companies Web sites
are solely dedicated to marketing support for off-line channels, the study
found.

Apart from order-taking, the primary function at many B-to-B sites is to
build new relationships and reinforce existing ones by offering product and
sales information, gathering qualified sales leads for staff follow-up and
attracting new business for off-line sales support, the report says.

The study is available for $1,495 for a single copy print or downloadable
e-report, and for $5,000 for unlimited company-wide multiuser access to the
e-report.