Mobilizing B2B Electronic Marketplace: An Exploratory Study of Critical Success Factors among Indian Start-ups

Abstract

Adoption of an electronic marketplace (EM) business model for business-to-business (B2B) transactions has increased over the years. In part, this evolution and adoption of B2B EMs can be explained by the Internet-enabled disintermediation of the existing value chains of businesses, followed by cybermediation. This study aims to understand the platform architecture design and governance-related factors and strategic choices that influence the success of B2B EM start-ups. We draw from the literature on the ‘Temple Framework’ and the classification of B2B EMs by transaction content, structure, and governance to identify these critical factors. Given that the literature is primarily based in the context of developed economies, the factors and choices identified from the review are empirically validated using three case studies in the Indian B2B context. Thus, this exploratory study aims to help founder managers of emerging-economy B2B EMs by providing a checklist to avoid common pitfalls.