Applying a Framework for Analyzing the Roles and Relationships of Cybermediaries on Selected Middle East Cases

e-commerce adoption has caused the marketplace to undergo transformation from intermediation as in the case of traditional retailers who help selling goods for bricks-and-mortar companies, to the disintermediation stage that has resulted from companies selling their products directly over the internet, to the current stage of reintermediation realizing the importance of Internet Intermediaries that have caused disruption to the traditional supply chain and gave rise to new business models. It is evident how Internet Intermediaries –known as cybermediaries - are playing an important role in the internet marketplace and how they generate revenues from their activities and revolutionize the way suppliers manage their supply chain. Past research noted that despite the emergence of new e-commerce business models, little has been done to investigate these business models. In the context of this research (Middle East), it becomes increasingly important to investigate the existing cybermediaries business models which is useful to new entrants to ecommerce fields. Based on a framework adopted from Barnesa and Hinton (2007), business models of selected Middle East cybermediaries and their characteristics will be revealed, evaluated, and documented. Having a clear idea about business models is beneficial for online startup companies as well as existing businesses (Chaffey, 2015).