Launched in April 1997, Unibex Inc. targets Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) by offering integrated electronic marketplace services at lower costs than those offered by its competitors in integrating architectural and communication protocol differences with customers and suppliers.
Unibex's network will be especially attractive to companies doing business globally. For instance, an athletic shoe manufacturer could find distributors around the globe, check those distributors' Dun & Bradstreet credit ratings, negotiate a sale with one, arrange shipment with a freight forwarder, purchase shipping insurance, pay customs duties and have a bank process the distributor's payment-all over Unibex's network.
By targeting such industry leaders as Industry Trade Associations, Trade Show Organizers, Online Business Communities, Global Commerce Service Providers, and Trade Development Organizations, Unibex seeks to focus their strategy. Through high-profile partnerships with companies such as Microsoft, IBM, AT&T, Digital Equipment, Chase Manhattan Bank, Dun & Bradstreet they hope to develop trust with both buyers and sellers.
Virtual trade shows go beyond the catalog model. They establish an online
presence for the seller and offer a starting point for buyers. By providing
a more dynamic yet centralized source of information that can be updated
as often as needed, this method supports one-stop shopping 24 hours a day,
7 days week.
Financial Backers (Upcoming IPO)
This report was completed in October 1999 for the class
International
Electronic Commerce taught in
the program of Management
Of Global Information Technology at the Kogod
School of Business
at American University
in Washington D.C.
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