What is Electronic Marketplace? It is the main digital business transaction platform among industries. To use the Internet techniques, a transaction platform is provided as an open marketplace on the internet. It is to combine manufacturers of all to build a business transaction group online so that buyers and suppliers can find suitable commercial partners and products to complete transaction of visible, invisible commodities and online services.

According to the main leading role, the electronic marketplace can be categorized to three sorts:

1. Independent e-marketplace

The third party, neither buyers nor suppliers, provides the open and public business transaction platform. And types of countries, region and specific estate are included.

2. Industry consortium, sales-oriented e-marketplace

The consortium is the e-Distribution led by the sellers. Providers of commodities market products to most buyers efficiently through the transaction post. (For example: Ariba-MetalSpectrum http://www.metalspectrum.com)

3. Industry consortium, purchase-oriented e-market The consortium is the e-Procurement led by the buyers. The goal is to search for related information about the suppliers by means of the business transaction post so that it can reduce the capitalize cost and heighten the efficiency.(For example: FreeMarkets, the online marketing websites of suppliers )

To categorize by industries and the service content, it can be distributed into two kinds:

1. Vertical e-marketplaces:

Aiming at diversified industries, to do the vertical integrated transaction of companies of the upper ,middle and lower midstream. It is necessary to own professional knowledge in the specific industry and further,to provide automatic and electrical services. This belongs to the business transaction mode of low quantity and high price. (For example: PlasticsNet http://www.plasticsnet.com/)

2. Consortium-based vertical marketplace:

It is built and joint to integrate manufactures of the upper and lower manufactures by the leading manufacturers in the competitive industry. (For example: The online marketplace of care parts built by FM, Ford, DiamlerChrysler, Renault and Nissan http://www.covisint.com/)

3. Horizontal e-marketplace:

The commercial action among industries on the internet business transaction post. Usually, indirect input and MRO(Main Repair Operation) are the main items and this belongs to the commodities transaction mode of high quantity and low price.

Furthermore, online credit card investigation cooperations with services of credit cards, loan, the e-marketplace of advertisement marketing, insurance, finance, product circulations and manpower agencies are on the list. The position of commodities they offer are all the same in every industry; at the same time, with the characteristics of straddling industries, it is also one kind of horizontal e-marketplaces.

B2B portal site belongs to the categorization of Independent e-marketplace and can be sorted to the horizontal e-marketplace as well.