"B2B-Marktmonitor" 2024: AI revolutionizes B2B e-commerce in Germany

• Study provides comprehensive insights into e-commerce revenues, companies, and trends in B2B e-commerce 2024
• Wholesalers and manufacturers strengthen their position in digital commerce
• Marketplaces continue to drive growth in B2B e-commerce

Jena / Köln, October 1, 2024 – The digitization of commerce continues to advance, sustainably changing the framework conditions in B2B e-commerce. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is a key factor in remaining competitive and promoting growth. The current "B2B-Marktmonitor" 2024, published by ECC KÖLN in cooperation with Intershop, Creditreform, and CGI, highlights the latest developments and trends in B2B e-commerce in Germany.

The study shows that AI applications are already an integral part of digitization strategies in many companies. Over three-quarters of the surveyed companies are already using AI tools such as predictive analytics, dynamic pricing adjustments, and personalized product recommendations. Intershop complements this with the recently released Intershop Copilot – an AI-powered procurement and service assistant specifically tailored to the needs of B2B customers.

The Intershop Copilot offers a dialog-based user interface for a personalized shopping experience. Using generative AI and a large language model, it accurately understands customer inquiries and provides targeted product recommendations and individual search results through seamless integration with SPARQUE.AI. These features increase the average order value and open up lucrative cross-selling opportunities. Additionally, features such as cart management, image-based product recognition, and voice control optimize the procurement process and enhance customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, the "B2B-Marktmonitor" emphasizes that wholesalers and manufacturers are increasingly using digital platforms to strengthen their market position. The B2B e-commerce of wholesalers and manufacturers grew by 11.7 percent to 476 billion euros in 2023, with marketplaces continuing to serve as central growth drivers. These platforms open up new revenue streams and increase sales, which is particularly important for wholesalers. The majority of sales are still generated through B2B online shops, with a market share of 75 percent.

"Platforms with AI-based search and recommendation functions are a game-changer in B2B e-commerce. The 'B2B-Marktmonitor' 2024 makes it clear that AI is no longer a future topic but a central success factor in B2B e-commerce," says Nils Breitmann, Senior Director Artificial Intelligence at Intershop.

The "B2B-Marktmonitor" 2024 offers valuable insights into e-commerce revenues and the role of marketplaces in B2B e-commerce. It highlights the opportunities for B2B companies, particularly through the monetization of services such as express deliveries and repairs. A free copy of the study with detailed analyses of revenue developments among manufacturers and wholesalers as well as trends in B2B e-commerce can be obtained here.

 

About the study

As part of the „B2B-Marktmonitor“, ECC KÖLN, together with Creditreform, Intershop, and CGI, highlights the development of B2B e-commerce revenues and B2B companies as well as current and future trends in B2B commerce in Germany. More in-depth information on other sub-sectors can be compiled on request. For this purpose, various sources were used and checked for plausibility with each other. The most important data sources are surveys of the Federal Statistical Office, survey results from IFH KÖLN and ECC KÖLN, diverse press, company and association information as well as our own online screening of several hundred companies.

The thesis paper will also be presented as part of the ECC WEB TALKS. On October 22, 2024, at 11:00, Julia Frings from ECC KÖLN, Christian Kramer from Creditreform, Nils Breitmann from Intershop, and Phillip Schulpen from CGI will provide insights into the study results. Register now for the free ECC WEB TALK “B2B-Marktmonitor – B2B-E-Commerce im Verlauf der Zeit”.

About ECC KÖLN

Since 1999, ECC KÖLN has been a driving force in e-commerce as a subsidiary brand of the renowned IFH KÖLN (Institute for Retail Research). Our goal is to offer retailers, manufacturers and solution providers a unique and exclusive knowledge, consulting and networking platform to make them fit for the future of commerce. With our ECC CLUB network, we have created an inspiring and strongly networked community from all retail sectors. Our strategy professionals around ECC NEXT strategically accompany companies into the digital future.

More at: www.ecckoeln.de

About Creditreform

Creditreform enables companies to build valuable and secure business relationships. With years of experience and the latest technologies, we create innovative solutions for the markets of tomorrow. Based on our economic data, we assess current business risks, identify market potentials, and realize outstanding claims. In this way, we help our customers and partners worldwide make reliable business decisions.

More at: www.creditreform.de

About CGI

We are a global IT and business process services company founded in 1976. Today, we have over 91,000 employees across 400 locations in 40 countries. Our flexible end-to-end services include strategic IT and business consulting, system integration, managed IT, and top-level intellectual property. We support our clients in transforming their businesses into agile organizations and use our IP solutions to accelerate innovation. Through intelligent system integration, we drive IT modernization for our clients; with our managed IT services and business process services, we help them reduce cost pressures and optimize their technology supply chains.

More at: www.cgi.com/en