A horizontal market is a market which meets a given need of a wide variety of industries, rather than a specific one.
In technology, horizontal markets consist of customers that share a common need that exists in many or all (vertical) industries. For example, customers that need to purchase computer security services or software exist in such varied industries as finance, healthcare, government, etc. Together, these customers constitute the security horizontal market. Other examples of horizontal markets include computer storage, accounting, desktop graphics, computer-aided design, sales force automation, and human resources. Often specialized distribution channels emerge to serve these unique horizontal markets.