The business-to-business e-commerce market is expected to generate sales of nearly $900 million in 2017 in the United States and could hit $1.18 trillion in as soon as two years, according to Forrester Research Inc.

But when it comes to successfully launching and sustaining a successful e-commerce business, many of the nation’s nearly 255,000 big and small manufacturing companies are just getting started.

And even manufacturers that have an established e-commerce base are still looking for new and better ways to design and maintain their commerce-enabled websites, and to vet and implement new technologies that boost sales and productivity. They also want to learn how to sell on Amazon and other marketplaces and develop business development and marketing strategies that appeal to their customers, including distributors, retailers and wholesalers.

To help manufacturers understand where they stack up online compared to similar companies, B2BecNews is surveying manufacturers of all sizes on their current business-to-business e-commerce operations and their future plans. Manufacturers can take the survey here.

All survey responses will remain anonymous. Manufacturers that take the survey will receive a copy of the findings and, as an incentive to participate, be entered to win the B2B 300 report (a $249 value) and receive a $50 research voucher to any Digital Commerce 360 research report (database products excluded).

More manufacturers are embracing B2B e-commerce in multiple vertical markets. For example, the 129 manufacturers ranked in the 2017 B2B E-Commerce include companies in such sectors as automotive/parts, computers/office supplies, consumer products, hardware/home furnishings, healthcare/pharmaceuticals, industrial and specialty. They accounted for combined online sales of $464.4 million, or 82.4% of the collective web sales of $563.7 million for all B2B e-commerce companies.

The insights garnered from the manufacturing e-commerce survey will be presented in forthcoming B2BecNews new articles and in a B2ecNews executive report entitled “Best practices in manufacturing—B2B e-commerce,” to be published in February. “There is a void of information when it comes to looking at how far along manufacturers are in implementing B2B e-commerce and what best practices they can use to be successful at it,” says B2BecNews editor Paul Demery. “Our exclusive survey and upcoming report will provide solid data and ‘how-to’ strategies for manufacturers of all sizes.”

Sign up for a complimentary subscription to B2BecNews, a twice-weekly newsletter that covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B e-commerce industry. B2BecNews is published by Vertical Web Media LLC, which also publishes DigitalCommerce360.com, Internet Retailer and Internet Health Management.

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