FORRESTER RESEARCH PREDICTS BOOM IN “EMARKETPLACES”

FORRESTER RESEARCH PREDICTS BOOM IN “EMARKETPLACES”

FORRESTER RESEARCH PREDICTS BOOM IN “EMARKETPLACES”

   EMarketplaces, the new models for conducting e-commerce, such as online auctions, “aggregators,” bid systems and exchanges, will capture 53 percent of all online U.S. business trade by 2004, according to a report by consultants Forrester Research.
   Forrester predicts that U.S. business-to-business e-commerce will hit $2.7 trillion in 2004. “This growth will also be accelerated by the rapid development of eMarketplaces,” it said.
   In a new report, “eMarketplaces Boost B2B Trade,” the consultants said that more than 90 percent of firms described plan to buy and sell on the Internet.
   Over the next two years, eMarketplaces will spring up within most industries, “attacking outdated business practices and inefficient trading relationships,” Forrester said.
   The largest impact will be in the computing and electronics, shipping and warehousing, and utilities industries, where more than 70 percent of online trade will go through eMarketplaces, the U.S. consultants said. By contrast, heavy industries and aerospace and defense will find less than 50 percent of their eCommerce flowing through eMarketplaces.