System and method for sourcing, purchasing and analysis across multiple commercial marketplace

摘要

A transaction management and decision support system is adapted for communication between vendors and purchasers over a wide area network. A method for identifying desired goods and services offered across a plurality of disjoint brick and mortar marketplaces, digital marketplaces, including electronic marketplaces, includes aggregating the disjoint marketplaces into a substantially aggregate marketplace database. A first set of parametric criteria, including product identification criteria, for example, is developed. The first set of criteria defines a particular product or service targeted for purchase. The aggregate marketplace is searched for a product or service meeting the first set of parametric criteria. Purchase metrics corresponding to found products or services meeting the first set of parametric criteria is displayed to a user. A second set of parametric criteria is developed, which defines a threshold value for at least one purchase metric corresponding to found products or services meeting the first set of parametric criteria. The aggregate marketplace database is automatically searched, on a periodic basis, for the product or service meeting the first set of parametric criteria and the second set of parametric criteria.