Buyer‐seller relationships and information sources in an e‐commerce world
Abstract
In the environment of business‐to‐business e‐commerce, both buyers and sellers are uncertain about their roles. Questions abound. What is the role of the Internet in buyer‐seller relationships, and what will be the interface between the Internet and the salesforce as information sources? Data collected from purchasing professionals suggest that traditional information sources, including suppliers’ salespeople, are more useful than the Internet at the present time. Moreover, findings indicate that the Internet plays almost no role in supplier selection decisions and only a moderate role in ongoing buyer‐seller relationships. Additionally, in relationships characterized by high levels of information exchange, trust, cooperation, and/or adaptations, the Internet appears to play a less important role. Based on these findings, implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.
Keywords
Citation
Deeter‐Schmelz, D.R. and Norman Kennedy, K. (2004), "Buyer‐seller relationships and information sources in an e‐commerce world", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 188-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620410531324
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited