Gartner: Asia/Pacific Set to Surge
by Richard Brown, Line56
Monday, April 02, 2001
Online business between companies in the Asia/Pacific region is set for accelerated growth, while North American-based firms will see their grip on the worldwide B2B e-commerce market falter, a new study by Gartner Group predicts.
Though North America accounted for 59 percent, or $255 billion, of the $433.3 billion in global B2B Internet transactions in 2000, the continent’s share is forecast to slip to 52 percent, or $480 billion, this year as the total market reaches an estimated $919 billion. By 2005, North America’s grip on worldwide B2B Internet commerce will slip further to 42 percent of the estimated $8.5 trillion worldwide market.
Meanwhile, as the U.S. endures a diminished command over the sector, the Asia/Pacific region (including Japan) will apparently enjoy a rise. B2B e-commerce in the Orient reached $96.8 billion last year, or 22 percent of the worldwide market and Gartner estimates that by 2005 its share of B2B e-commerce will hit $2.4 trillion, or 28 percent of the worldwide total. That’s a 6 percent rise over the same period that the U.S. will suffer a 17 percent fall in global market share. This year, Asia/Pacific will generate $220 billion, or 24 percent, of total online inter-company trade.
Lane Leskela, research director for Gartner's e-business group, explains that businesses in Asia/Pacific will use this opportunity to reduce exposure to overseas markets affected by the economic downturn and instead will focus on building private regional marketplaces with familiar partners.
“The first wave of e-marketplace development in Asia/Pacific was pushed by overseas buyers' e-procurement initiatives. The next cycle is characterized by private investment and consortia-funded supplier marketplaces working to shorten manufacturing and delivery time and aggregate total market demand on a global scale.”
Leskela adds that an increasing number of Asian marketplaces from sectors as diverse as energy supply, paper, utilities, food, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals will emerge during the next five years.
The report also covers European B2B Internet commerce, which Gartner says reached $72.5 billion in 2000, or 17 percent of the worldwide market. This year, Europe is expected to account for 20 percent of the overall total by producing trade in B2B e-commerce worth $188 billion. And by 2005, Europe will command a 21 percent of the $1.7 billion market.
Gartner defines B2B Internet commerce as the sales of goods and services for which the order-taking process was completed via the Internet. This includes purchases via Internet EDI, e-marketplaces, extranets and other sell-side initiatives, but excludes activity over proprietary networks.
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