The Big Picture of B2B Commerce Solution Providers–Revision 1
My last post was an attempt to categorize many of the B2B software providers that engage in commerce related activities between buyers and suppliers. (I guess I could call them B2B supply chain providers, but the supply chain term conjurs up images of planning and...
The Big Picture of B2B Commerce Solution Providers
As you consider the world of software companies that serve businesses, especially in the supply chain arena, you typically consider only a small segment of that world. For instance, given the excitement around cloud computing, you might consider only those providers...
What do you make of EBIX?
Ebix is one of the most interesting, and controversial, Industry in the Cloud (IC) providers I follow. (It's stock symbol is also EBIX.) Ebix describes itself as " a leading provider of On-Demand software and e-commerce solutions to the insurance...
Whither (Wither?) the EDI Giants?
If you are interested in B2B e-commerce, you are interested in the history and future of the EDI giants: GXS and Sterling Commerce.
The Open Table Flywheel
In the last post, I wrote that B2B networks, marketplaces, and Industry in the Cloud (IC) platforms tend to grow like flywheels, rather than like viruses with "tipping points". One of the reasons for this, as anyone who has sold software to a business knows, is that...
Tipping Points and Flywheels
Ever since Malcolm Gladwell wrote the eponymous book, tipping points are popular. Unfortunately, most B2B markets are more like flywheels.
The Right Metrics for ICs, including “Gross Yield”
In preparation for the last post on pricing, I was reviewing the annual reports and presentations from a wide variety of Industry in the Cloud (IC) providers. Doing so reminded me of the importance to ICs of tracking the right metrics and, equally important, ignoring...
It’s the pricing model, stupid!
In a prior post, I identified the right pricing model as one of the key success factors for "industry in the cloud" (IC) providers. Pricing is critical for all businesses, but it is especially critical (and complicated) for IC providers. Every company understands...
Media Ocean to take on Google in digital advertising
In an exciting announcement, Donovan Data Systems and MediaBank today agreed to merge, subject to regulatory approval. If you are not an ad agency executive or a major advertiser, you may not have heard of these private companies (each reportedly with $500 million in...
