B-Cart based Agent System for B2B EC

To realize the implementation of agent based B2B e-Commerce, we design the b-Cart based B2B agent framework. B-Cart implies a buyer’s shopping cart which a buyer carries to the seller’s sites. The prototype agent, named AgentB, is designed to provide an effective architecture for employee’s direct desktop purchasing from multiple external seller’s e-marketplaces. In this paper, we propose the thirteen features of b-cart based agent system in B2B EC; Identification, User Dialog, Collection, Trashing, Individual Purchase Decision Support, Organizational Purchase Decision Support, Negotiation, Ordering, Payment, Tracking, Recording, Record Transmission, Knowledge Maintenance. Based on these features, we design the buying process, message interfaces, and analyze the pros and cons of AgentB. Even though AgentB has some overheads such as in development, operation, and deployment, the buyer using a b-cart can collect items from different e-marketplaces, and can order purchases simultaneously over the collected items. It also supports integrated services in personalized comparison on purchasing items, order tracking, financial/payment management, user’s account management, negotiation management, and personal decision support along the organizational decision making process. AgentB architecture allows a tight integration of the b-cart with e-procurement systems.