B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

E-Marketplaces and Collaborative Networks 441
Suppliers
1»»D TlllB (••D TlIlD
E-marketplace
A 4k. A. 4k
Buyers
Figure 15.3. — E-marketplaces era
participating in that exchange (see Figure 15.3). B2B e-marketplaces
are based on a 'many-to-many relationship'.
15.2.3. Classification of e-marketplaces
E-marketplaces can be classified as follows:
Vertical vs. horizontal e-marketplaces
Vertical — E-marketplaces that provide products and serve buyers and
sellers of a specific industry, such as automotive or health care, are
known as vertical exchanges. A few examples of vertical exchanges are
e-Steel.com serving the steel industry, irail.com serving the railway
industry and buckaroo.com serving the digital component market.
Horizontal — E-marketplaces offering services and indirect goods that
serve companies across all the industries are called horizontal exchanges.
Indirect goods help the companies run their business, but are not
necessarily part of a company's products. These marketplaces are like
application service providers focusing on services that are common to
all companies, such as transaction management, logistics, insurance,
financing, credit and indirect goods, such as computers and stationery.
Commerce One's Marketsite, Oracle exchange, VerticalNet, Ariba