An extension of the consumer portals where comparative shopping services are available. Service that ties users together within a particular industry. An example of this is a threaded discussion area, where topics can be discussed among many vertical market players. Internet-enabling of businesses within a particular vertical industry. Vertical market portals play an important role in bringing an entire vertical industry into the B2B economy.
Mediated exchanges bring buyers and sellers together and facilitate e-commerce transactions.
The purpose of a pass-through exchange is to simplify the process of introducing a buyer to a seller and forming the trading agreement. However, once this relationship is set up, the transactions are handled directly between buyer and seller. In this type of exchange, the mediator acts much like a real-estate broker, taking a commission for introducing the two parties. Pass-through exchanges are more popular for direct materials transactions where the relationship between the buyer and the seller is based upon trust. These are products that are not mission-critical, but are required for doing business.