Publications
Publications
- December 2000
- HBS Case Collection
Online Market Makers
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Chris Hackett
Abstract
Describes the business model for online market makers, firms that use the Internet to organize a marketplace, providing participants with a virtual "place" to trade, rules to govern their exchanges, and infrastructure to support trading. First it proposes a definition of market making and presents different ways to categorize online market makers. Next it describes how online market makers create value for market participants. Then it examines the economics of market making, focusing on revenue and cost drivers, using both online and offline examples. Building on that analysis, the final section examines the risks and potential payoffs to online market makers from pursuing aggressive growth strategies. Explores the value proposition offered by these companies and the economic imperatives they face. Finally, seeks to provide a framework for evaluating whether the adoption of aggressive growth strategies is prudent for online market makers.
Keywords
Citation
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Chris Hackett. "Online Market Makers." Harvard Business School Background Note 801-308, December 2000.