E-Markets 2000

In 2000, the promise of e-markets was an electronic, Internet-based commerce arena for a group of buyers and suppliers within an industry, geographic region, or affinity group. The key concepts were aggregation and intermediation: formerly point-to-point, one-on-one transactions were to be brought into a multiple party environment. Research analysts predicted that between 40 and 60 percent of business to business e-commerce would take place on e-markets by 2004, totaling between $1.5 to $3.0 trillion in total transaction value. The case describes a framework for understanding e-markets and their economic impact, introduces the players that bring them into being, briefly outlines the technical infrastructure that supports them and standards that are developing to enable application integration and facilitate governance. The case concludes by balancing the promise of e-markets with a discussion of the roadblocks to adoption.