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An electronic intermediary that helps
buyers and sellers do business on the internet, usually by providing unique
or exclusive information and services. There are many examples of infomediaries, the best-known being consumer- driven websites such as
lastminute.com and ebay. Both of these bring buyers and sellers
together in ways not practical before the advent of public electronic
networks by consolidating geographically isolated customers and suppliers.
But the real future for infomediaries is in Business-to-Business
transactions, where the ability to provide up-to-the-minute pricing
information, supply goods at rock-bottom prices or merely host a
conveniently neutral dealing platform may give internet-bases businesses a
huge advantage over their real-world equivalents. For an interesting
contrast, and an example of the difficulty of making predictions on internet
trends, see also disintermediation. |
