Sources of Information about Suppliers Used in Purchasing Processes on the B2B Market

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to identify the sources of information regarding suppliers most often used by manufacturing companies and to define their importance. Design/Methodology/Approach: The considerations based on the analysis of the literature and the results of empirical research indicate that enterprises use both direct forms (such as sales representatives, recommendations of other clients, fairs and exhibitions) and on-line forms (such as suppliers' websites). Specialized industry as sources of information about suppliers. portals as a source of information about suppliers. The thesis is confirmed by the results of empirical research conducted with the computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technique in medium and large manufacturing companies operating in Poland. Findings: The results of the conducted research indicate that the sources of information concerning new suppliers most frequently indicated by the surveyed companies are visits of sales representatives of suppliers sending the offer by suppliers, suppliers' websites, direct contacts of the management/specialists employed in the enterprise with suppliers, recommendations of other companies and fairs and exhibitions. The results of the conducted research also indicate that for manufacturers the most important sources of information about suppliers were: suppliers' websites, sending the offer by suppliers, direct contacts of the management / specialists employed in the enterprise with suppliers and the visits of sales representatives of suppliers. Practical Implications: The considerations based on the analysis of the literature and the results of empirical research indicate that both direct forms (such as sales representatives, recommendations of other clients, fairs and exhibitions) and electronic on-line forms of contact (such as suppliers' websites, specialized industry portals) play an important role in the B2B market as sources of information about suppliers. Originality/Value: Research on sources of information about suppliers used in purchasing processes on the B2B market is undertaken very rarely. Therefore, the results of studies presented in this article fill the research gap.