The Electronic Mall is a global, virtual department store. The open telematic infrastructure of electronic markets enables private households and small businesses to be fully linked to the electronic data exchange chain using commercially available low-cost hardware and software components. In this context, the Electronic Mall ushers the retail sector to the domain of ubiquitous electronic markets and fulfills the demands of today`s information society. The core idea of the architecture is to allow users and suppliers to trade and to communicate via intermediaries. They provide communication and application services as well as enhanced market-like coordination facilities. Hence, intermediaries form "turntables", whereby all market transactions are settled electronically. A flexible modular design allows the combination and integration of various communication technology components on different levels.