The initial phase of the B2C revolution, which contributed greatly to the rapid rise and current deflation of many companies' stock prices, has led many people to believe that the use of the Web as a key business enabler is an unproven paradigm. Although B2C will unquestionably win out in consumer markets in the long term, CXOs should not let any current doubts about B2C undermine a fundamental faith in B2B, which is proving itself consistently to companies that have aggressively adopted it and are using technology to create and use trade exchanges. The use of the word exchange is also important, because a trade exchange is not a simple marketplace that solely brings buyers and sellers together. Rather, an exchange lets buyers, sellers, and investors engage in real-time negotiations and purchases. Within this context, exchanges can often be thought of in either horizontal or vertical terms.
Horizontal exchanges broker a specific type of product or service across multiple industries.
Office-supplies procurement, cargo transport, and maintenance fit into this model. Vertical exchanges enable electronic commerce within a specific industry. ITEs can be categorized as geographic exchanges, commodity exchanges, or specialized exchanges. Getting to market quickly. This is a key concern for all current exchanges, due to the advantages conferred on market leaders and the anticipated struggle for market share among competing exchanges.