Table of Contents
Introduction to E-Commerce 3
What is E-Commerce ? 4
Famous site in E-Commerce 5
Types of E-Commerce: 6
On-premises e-commerce 6
Software as a service (SaaS) E-commerce 6
Open source E-commerce 6
Business-to-Consumer (B2C) 6
Business-to-Business (B2B) 6
Consumer-to-Business (C2B) 7
Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C) 7
Conclusion 8
Introduction to E-Commerce
Before you begin learning to use ShopSite, it's helpful to know some basic information about the greater world of E-commerce. Most people are already familiar with E-commerce from the shopper's point of view, and you may already have some experience with commerce in thebrick-and-mortarworld.
E-commerce from a merchant's point of view is similar in many ways to both shopping online and running a brick-and-mortar store, but there are also a number of unique factors to operating a Web-based store that you may not be as familiar with.
This section discusses E-commerce in general, and explains many of the terms and components that are a part of operating a Web-based store. It is divided into the following topics:
1. What is E-Commerce?
2. Famous sites in E-Commerce
3. Types of E-Commerce
What is E-Commerce?
E-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services, or the transmitting of funds or data, over an electronic network, primarily the Internet. These business transactions occur either business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer or consumer-to-business.The termse-commerceande-businessare often used interchangeably. The terme-tailis also sometimes used in reference to transactional processes around online retail.
E-commerce is conducted using a variety of applications, such asemail,fax, online catalogs and shopping carts,Electronic Data Interchange(EDI),File Transfer Protocol, and Web services. Most of this isbusiness-to-business, with some companies attempting to use email and fax for unsolicited ads (usually viewed asspam) to consumers and other business prospects, as well as to send out e-newsletters to subscribers.
The benefits of e-commerce include its around-the-clock availability, the speed of access, a wider selection of goods and services, accessibility, and international reach. Its perceived downsides include sometimes-limited customer service, not being able to see or touch a product prior to purchase, and the necessitated wait time for product shipping.
Famous site in E-Commerce
1. eBay:
eBay Inc.(stylized as "ebay" since late 2012) is an Americanmultinational corporationande-commercecompany, providing consumer to consumerbusiness to consumersalesservices viaInternet. It is headquartered inSan Jose,California. eBay was founded byPierre Omidyarin 1995, and became a notable success story of thedot-com bubble. Today it is a multibillion-dollar business with operations localized in over 30 countries.[5]
The company manages eBay.com, anonline auctionand shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide. In addition to its auction-style sales, the website has since expanded to include "Buy It Now" shopping; shopping byUPC,ISBN, or other kind ofSKU(viaHalf.com); online classified advertisements (viaKijijior eBay Classifieds); online event ticket trading (viaStubHub); online money transfers (viaPayPal)and other services.
2. Amazon:
Amazon.com, Inc. often referred to as simplyAmazon, is an Americanelectronic commerceandcloud computingcompany with headquarters inSeattle,Washington. It is the largest Internet-based retailer in the United States.[12]Amazon.com started as an onlinebookstore, later diversifying to sellDVDs,Blu-rays,CDs,videodownloads/streaming,MP3downloads/streaming,audiobookdownloads/streaming,software,video games,electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys and jewelry. The company also producesconsumer electronics—notably,Amazon Kindlee-book readers,Firetablets,Fire TVandFire Phone—and is the world's largest provider ofcloud infrastructureservices (IaaS).[13]Amazon also sells certain low-end products like USB cables under its in-house brand AmazonBasics.
Types of E-Commerce
On-premises e-commerce
On-premises e-commerce software usually requires initial one time purchase investment in terms of licensing fees. Also, it implies extra costs related to hardware and installation services as well as data migration and on-going maintenance fees that are usually charged on a yearly basis for software updates and support. Some examples of typical on premises E-commerce platforms areHybris (company),Intershop Communications, Sana Commerce.Oorjit.andIBM WebSphere.
Software as a service (SaaS) E-commerce
Software as a Service (SaaS)- is a cloud based delivery model in which applications are hosted and managed in a service provider's datacenter, paid for on a subscription basis and accessed via a browser over an internet connection. Two examples of typical SaaS E-commerce solutions areShopify andDemandware.But there are much more of such examples.
Open source E-commerce
Open source e-Commerce is a free of charge platform that doesn’t imply licenses fee. Furthermore, open source users are also responsible for installing, maintaining, securing and configuring the software on their own servers. In order to set up an open source platform, basic technical expertise is required in the areas of web design and development. Software products that are distributed as open source are generally free, and users can access and modify the source code. Several examples of typical open source E-commerce platforms arePayCart,PrestaShop,osCommerce, Magento,Thelia andCart42
Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
In a Business-to-Consumer E-commerce environment, companies sell their online goods to consumers who are the end users of their products or services. Usually, B2C E-commerce web shops have an open access for any visitor and user
Business-to-Business (B2B)
In a Business-to-Business E-commerce environment, companies sell their online goods to other companies without being engaged in sales to consumers. In most B2B E-commerce environments entering the web shop will require a log in. B2B web shop usually contains customer-specific pricing, customer-specific assortments and customer-specific discounts. There are several SaaS B2B eCommerce platforms available, such asTradeGecko's B2B eCommerce Platform.
Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
In a Consumer-to-Business E-commerce environment, consumers usually post their products or services online on which companies can post their bids. A consumer reviews the bids and selects the company that meets his price expectations.
Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
In a Consumer-to-Consumer E-commerce environment consumers sell their online goods to other consumers. A well-known example iseBay.
Conclusion
In general, today’s businesses must always strive to create the next best thing that consumers will want because consumers continue to desire their products, services etc. to continuously be better, faster, and cheaper. In this world of new technology, businesses need to accommodate to the new types of consumer needs and trends because it will prove to be vital to their business’ success and survival. E-commerce is continuously progressing and is becoming more and more important to businesses as technology continues to advance and is something that should be taken advantage of and implemented.
From the inception of the Internet and e-commerce, the possibilities have become endless for both businesses and consumers. Creating more opportunities for profit and advancements for businesses, while creating more options for consumers. However, just like anything else, e-commerce has its disadvantages including consumer uncertainties, but nothing that can not be resolved or avoided by good decision-making and business practices.
There are several factors and variables that need to be considered and decided upon when starting an e-commerce business. Some of these include: types of e-commerce, marketing strategies, and countless more. If the correct methods and practices are followed, a business will prosper in an e-commerce setting with much success and profitability.
References
· Ref1
· Ref2
· Ref3