The tempest of change that is blowing through industries is forcing all kinds of alliances, many of which would have seemed improbable just a year or two ago. Meanwhile, the pace of change in the world of commerce is reaching gale force.
Partnerships provide some respite.
Lightly binding, short-lived commitments, they can help companies experiment quickly and broadly with new ways of doing business. This is an immensely valuable capability, especially in electronic commerce, where nobody knows how markets will develop. You do that through a full suite of outside relationships. The numbers show the trend. That percentage doesn't include money spent on actual purchases from suppliers.