In order to increase access to the Internet economy, brokers/agents offer their services to organizations venturing into the virtual marketplace. Brokers/agents handle many of the behind-the-scenes duties associated with running an e-Commerce site
for a company and offer package deals to customers.
With characteristics similar to the marketplace and transactional business models, a broker acts as a middleman between the business producing an item and the consumer.
Airline, Hotel, Car Rental
Some of the traditional business functions performed by a broker/agent include:
Creating and maintaining a Web site
Establishing an ordering/inventory database
Advertising
Maintaining accounts receivable
A good example of a broker is a travel agency.
Travel agencies offer package deals to consumers that include airfare, hotel, and car rental services. Some popular travel brokers include: