An Agent-Based Approach for Integrating Logistics Services into a B2B Marketplace

In e-commerce, Business-to-Business (B2B) interactions, like e.g., electronic negotiations and auctions between suppliers and customers, could be significantly improved by enabling their participants to adapt their negotiation and bidding strategies to current logistics information (e.g., about estimated transportation cost) while the interaction goes on. In this paper, we present an agent-based information and trading network enabling companies to optimize their B2B interaction strategies by integrating current logistics information into their business processes. We realize this by a multiagent-based auction site offering integrated logistics services that can be requested during an auction by sellers and buyers for getting information about actual logistics information, e.g. about transportation conditions (including cost, date, etc.). The integrated, agent-based logistics services provide the auction site users with the capability to check on the status of their orders, logistics processes, and their current delivery schedule at any time, also by using mobile devices like WAP phones.