E-marketplace Selection: a Interrelationship Matrix-based Approach to Support the Selection Process for Entry into Electronic Marketplaces

The process of joining an e-Marketplace, and the evaluation of which particular ones offer the best mix of services for a particular set of business needs, is not a straightforward undertaking. With such a myriad of variants on offer, with numerous membership models, features, services, product types, and technology platforms in existence, it can prove to be a very confusing process for any prospective company looking to join. This book addresses the issue by taking steps toward developing an effective, intuitive, and user- friendly mechanism for assisting in the process of e- marketplace selection, to be employed by either those looking to subscribe to existing e-marketplaces or others investigating the prospect of developing a bespoke electronic marketplace of their own. It discusses the development of an interrelationship matrix-based approach for evaluating the suitability of an e-marketplace's range of services to an established set of customer requirements. The developed matrix is then tested in a further series of case study environments in order to assess its viability and potential.