Further publication in "Handbook on Digitization" from March 2022

In the academic publication "Handbuch Digitalisierung" (Handbook of Digitalization), a further chapter on the topic of electronic B2C marketplaces as a sales channel in Germany - A taxonomy was published in March 2022 by the authors Kai Christian Köhli and Martin Fassnacht. Due to the rapid growth of e-commerce and omnichannel business, the constantly changing consumer needs as well as the better availability of data, traditional retail is facing a radical change of its current business model. Electronic marketplaces represent an attractive sales channel for both retailers and manufacturers. They lower the barriers to market entry and require less capital intensity than their own online stores and offer greater scalability, so it can be observed that retailers and manufacturers are increasingly thinking about setting up their own electronic marketplaces, thereby significantly blurring the boundaries. The challenges associated with this are addressed in this article and key insights into the structure of the German B2C market landscape are derived.