Evolution of B2B e-commerce in international trade: a documentary study on commercial intermediation and global distribution chains (2020-2026)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71112/b05mrj74

Keywords:

B2B e-commerce, international trade, digital platforms, intermediate relations, global distribution chains

Abstract

Business-to-business (B2B) electronic commerce has reconfigured commercial intermediation structures and global distribution chains. This documentary study, qualitative in nature, analyzes how digital platforms have altered intermediation models and distribution dynamics in international B2B trade between 2020 and 2026. Based on a systematic review of academic literature and institutional sources, the processes of disintermediation and reintermediation were examined. The findings suggest that digital platforms have reduced barriers to accessing international markets, enabling smaller firms to participate in global supply chains previously reserved for large corporations. However, disintermediation has not implied the disappearance of intermediaries, but rather their transformation into new forms of digital intermediation that add value through data management, trust building, and logistics integration. It is concluded that B2B electronic commerce has redefined the value criteria of commercial intermediation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alibaba.com. (2025, 14 de noviembre). Alibaba.com unveils AI Mode. Nasdaq. https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/alibabacom-unveils-ai-mode-while-fueling-57-surge-european-orders-and-50-increase

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. (2024). El comercio digital en América Latina y el Caribe: Conectar los mercados para potenciar el crecimiento. BID. https://publications.iadb.org/es/el-comercio-digital-en-america-latina-y-el-caribe-conectar-los-mercados-para-potenciar-el

Cassia, F., y Magno, F. (2025). Leveraging cross-border e-commerce platforms for export strategies: A model for exporters in B2B markets. Review of International Business and Strategy, 35(4), 527-550. https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-01-2025-0003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-01-2025-0003

Chircu, A. M., y Kauffman, R. J. (2000). Reintermediation strategies in business-to-business electronic commerce. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 4(4), 7-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2000.11518377 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2000.11518377

Culotta, C., Blome, C., y Henke, M. (2024). Theories of digital platforms for supply chain management: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 54(5), 449-475. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-01-2023-0016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-01-2023-0016

Enache, A., y Rhodes, A. (2025). Platform disintermediation with repeated transactions. Management Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2025.02150 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5268394

Fodouop Kouam, A. W. (2026). AI-enabled capabilities and SME internationalization under fragmented globalization. International Journal of Emerging Markets. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-04-2026-0829 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-04-2026-0829

Gayá, R. (2024). Estrategias para el éxito de mipymes lideradas por mujeres en el comercio electrónico transfronterizo. Documentos de Proyectos (LC/TS.2024/54). Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL). https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/80655-estrategias-exito-mipymes-lideradas-mujeres-comercio-electronico-transfronterizo

Giaglis, G. M., Klein, S., y O'Keefe, R. M. (2002). The role of intermediaries in electronic marketplaces: Developing a contingency model. Information Systems Journal, 12(3), 231-246. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2575.2002.00123.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2575.2002.00123.x

Goertler, T. (2025). A typification of digital platforms from a supply chain management perspective. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 55(6), 678-699. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-02-2024-0077 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-02-2024-0077

Hu, L., Filipescu, D. A., y Pergelova, A. (2024). Understanding SMEs' internationalization through digital platforms: The role of knowledge sharing and consumer education. International Marketing Review, 41(5), 1044-1073. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-09-2023-0252 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-09-2023-0252

Huang, H.-n., Qu, T., Qiu, X.-h., Ma, L., Nie, D., Li, C., y Huang, G. Q. (2025). Industrial internet platform-driven decentralised multi-level synchronised reconfiguration of assembly supply chains. International Journal of Production Research, 63(12), 4328-4350. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2024.2448284 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2024.2448284

Hyun, H.-J., y Kim, C.-B. (2024). Influencing factors of SME export performance: Focusing on the mediating effect of utilizing B2B cross-border e-commerce platforms. Journal of Korea Trade, 28(2), 17-39. https://doi.org/10.35611/jkt.2024.28.2.17 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35611/jkt.2024.28.2.17

Kuang, A., Yeung, G., Wang, M., y Tong, Y. (2024). Digital platform, spatial-digital fix, and the reconfiguration of apparel production networks. Economic Geography, 100(5-6), 381-409. https://doi.org/10.1080/00130095.2024.2419669 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00130095.2024.2419669

Luo, J., Lin, Y., Liu, Z., Jiang, H., y Liu, H. (2026). Platform-based supply chains: A dual-layered framework for digital transformation and ecosystem orchestration. Journal of Digital Economy, 5(1), 66-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdec.2026.02.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdec.2026.02.002

Lyu, X., Xiao, T., y Li, J. (2024). An investigation of disintermediation on freight exchange platform: The role of buyer-supplier relationships. International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications, 28(4), 427-448. https://doi.org/10.1080/13675567.2024.2303483 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13675567.2024.2303483

Nguyen, B. T. (2026). Determinants of e-commerce platform adoption for exporting among SMEs: An extended C-TAM-TPB model. Corporate and Business Strategy Review, 7(3), 167-176. https://doi.org/10.22495/cbsrv7i3art15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22495/cbsrv7i3art15

Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos. (2025). OECD Economic Surveys: Costa Rica 2025. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/048cf07b-en DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/048cf07b-en

Pan, L., Liu, S., Li, Y., Teo, K., y Fu, X. (2025). Climbing the global value chain: The role of cross-border e-commerce in SME internationalization. Managerial and Decision Economics, 46(8), 4115-4137. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.70005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.70005

Raza, A., Alam, M., y Bakhtawar, S. (2025). Digitalization of international trade: Economic impacts of cross-border e-commerce, data flows and platform economies. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 14(3), 2020-2032. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2025.14.3.158 DOI: https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2025.14.3.158

Sombultawee, K., Tangpong, C., Wattanatorn, W., Li, J., y Boon-itt, S. (2025). Signalling trust: Supplier communication, buyer risk propensity, and e-marketplace engagement among B2B SMEs. Industrial Marketing Management, 128, 101-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.06.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.06.007

Stallkamp, M., y Schotter, A. P. J. (2021). Platforms without borders? The international strategies of digital platform firms. Global Strategy Journal, 11(1), 58-80. https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1336 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1336

Sun, Y., y Qu, Q. (2025). Platform governance, institutional distance, and seller trust in cross-border e-commerce. Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), 183. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020183

Temouri, Y., Wood, G., Pereira, V., Lewellyn, K. B., y Reppas, D. (2025). Cross-country evidence of e-commerce SME internationalization and the role of policy. International Business Review, 34(6), 102488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2025.102488 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2025.102488

Tolstoy, D., Nordman, E. R., y Vu, U. (2022). The indirect effect of online marketing capabilities on the international performance of e-commerce SMEs. International Business Review, 31(3), 101946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2021.101946 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2021.101946

Tolstoy, D., Melén Hånell, S., y Özbek, N. (2023). Effectual market creation in the cross-border e-commerce of small- and medium-sized enterprises. International Small Business Journal, 41(1), 35-54. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426211072999 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426211072999

UNCTAD. (2024). Digital economy report 2024: Shaping an environmentally sustainable and inclusive digital future. United Nations. https://unctad.org/publication/digital-economy-report-2024

Valenzuela Quilumba, J. A., Zavala Mora, M. D., Cuarán Ayala, E. A., Sánchez Cacuango, J. M., y Carrera Tobar, J. F. (2026). Comercio electrónico transfronterizo e internacionalización de las PYMES: mapeo bibliométrico de tendencias de investigación y brechas de conocimiento (2020–2026). LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v7i3.5968 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v7i3.5968

Verfürth, P., y Helwing-Hentschel, V. (2025). Digital platforms and the reconfiguration of global production networks. Journal of Economic Geography, 25(2), 235-253. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbae039 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbae039

VTEX. (2026, 6 de julio). El futuro del comercio B2B: Tendencias, retos y cómo escalar en 2026. https://www.vtex.com/es-mx/blog/futuro-comercio-b2b-tendencias-retos-escalar-2026/

Wang, F., y Zhou, Y. (2025). Cross-border e-commerce, platform economy, and export product quality. International Business Review, 34(5), 102466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2025.102466 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2025.102466

Published

2026-10-28

Issue

Section

Ciencias Sociales

How to Cite

Morales Vergara, R. ., & Vite Gómez, E. E. . (2026). Evolution of B2B e-commerce in international trade: a documentary study on commercial intermediation and global distribution chains (2020-2026). Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences, 3(4), 810-836. https://doi.org/10.71112/b05mrj74