What Is Electronic Commerce (Ecommerce)?
The term electronic commerce (ecommerce) refers to a business model that allows companies and individuals to buy and sell goods and services over the Internet. Ecommerce operates in four major market segments and can be conducted over computers, tablets, smartphones, and other smart devices. Nearly every imaginable product and service is available through ecommerce transactions, including books, music, plane tickets, and financial services such as stock investing and online banking. As such, it is considered a very disruptive technology.
- Ecommerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet.
- It is conducted over computers, tablets, smartphones, and other smart devices.
- Almost anything can be purchased through ecommerce today.
- It can be a substitute for brick-and-mortar stores, though some businesses choose to maintain both.
- Ecommerce operates in four market segments, including business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer, and consumer-to-business.
Types of e-commerce
- Business to Consumer (B2C)
- Business to Business (B2B)
- Direct to Consumer (D2C)
- Consumer to Consumer (C2C)
- Consumer to Business (C2B)