What are the new "moves" for e-commerce platforms in the face of global economic crisis? These days the single marketing channel is no longer sufficient. B2B players are now providing more specialized services, as well as taking up a new role as an innovation driver.

China's manufacturing industry has been hit by the "economic winter". But for those B2B players, they're not all doom and gloom. In fact, in some large scale exhibitions held in spring 2009 buyers didn't decrease their sourcing volume from China. Many buyers had even demanded more effective sourcing channels. B2B companies, as a result, have been launching new services to meet their demands. Global Sources, for instance, has launched "e-sourcing" service with video conferencing, a new platform for suppliers to meet one-on-one with buyers in emerging markets. This new service is well received by top buyers in new markets such as Russia and Brazil and it helps them save costs and source more effectively. Meanwhile, Alibaba has also launched new export services aimed at helping SME exporters.

According to a survey of over 200 export companies conducted by Analysys International, using multiple marketing channels receives the most inquiries and gets the highest inquiry-to-order conversion. In addition, for single marketing channel, offline channels generate more relevant, successful inquiries than the online one. In response, Alibaba will bring its virtual services to the real world by embarking on the exhibition business this year. And Global Sources has split its Baby and Children's Products Fair from the Home Products Fair. This more specialized, convenient show aims to facilitate more trading opportunities by providing baby and children's products buyers with a more designated range of products and services.

In addition to providing more specialized and effective sourcing services, many e-commerce players have taking up new roles - from being a simple trade communications platform between buyers and suppliers to the driving force behind China suppliers' product innovation. They are guiding the way suppliers adjust their products and leverage their innovation.

While suppliers of other countries such as India and Vietnam are catching up China suppliers in terms of product design and innovation, many international buyers are not planning to reduce their China sourcing because China-made products still have an edge in prices.

o forge more cooperation between China suppliers and international buyers, Global Sources is taking up the role as an innovation driver for the suppliers. The company has organized a series of programs and conferences to introduce the newest, most advanced technologies and designs to China suppliers, hoping that they will be able to improve their product quality as well as making breakthroughs in product design. Shenzhen JWL Electronics, for instance, has been adjusting their products through years of cooperation with Global Sources. Now, JWL has thoroughly upgraded their products and become a large export company.

In times of economic crisis, it's obvious that quality products with good design and lower prices are most popular. In this regard, Global Sources is playing a vital new role as an innovation driver.