Business E-commerce is changing the way goods are researched and purchased in the JanSan industry. By: Aaron Baunee, managing editor We Mean E Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is an emerg-ing platform that allows for the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet. In this information age, e-commerce is quickly gaining momentum as a viable way to procure the products necessary to run a custodial and/or maintenance operation smoothly. According to Forrester Research Inc., online sales are projected to reach $192 billion in 2011 and increase to upwards of $250 billion by 2014. To say it another way, e-commerce is expected to grow by nearly 10 percent a year for the fore-seeable future. In some cases, business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce — unlike business-to-consumer (B2C) online sales — is not as much a matter of gener-ating revenue as it is a way of making lasting busi-ness connections. E-commerce platforms make researching products and comparing prices easier than perusing paper catalogues. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Purchasing . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: E-commerce . 28 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2011
CMM – Archives Feb 2011: 28
