eCommerce, Also electronic commerce is the action of the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, and the transfer of money and data to execute the transactions.
What are the different eCommerce models?
I. B2C or business to consumer
This is where a business provides a service or product to consumers, an example is Amazon. It is a business with the model of selling other businesses items to consumers
2. B2B or business to business
This is where a business provides a business with a service or products, an example is a website agency building a website for another business
3. C2C or Consumer 2 Consumer
This is where a consumer sells a product or service to another consumer like a garage sale.
Types of eCommerce
There are a number of e-commerce types, businesses, and consumers that can sell online.
Here are a few examples of eCommerce types:
Wholesale
Wholesale is when you buy goods in bulk at lower prices. In buying wholesale, businesses and consumers save money by buying large quantities to increase the return without the back and forth of single products.
You’ll usually buy wholesale from distributors or manufacturers and repackage or white label for sale.
Dropshipping
Drop shipping is an e-commerce business model in which the seller does not have to take care of the warehousing, storage, or shipping of products purchased by customers. Instead, the manufacturer sends the items straight from their warehouse to the buyer. This is similar to the wholesale model, but the seller only carries out online transactions; they do not organize the shipping process.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions are used to sell a product or service for a recurring set of time, as a consumer, this is typically the type we deal with on a regular basis. Similar to Netflix, you pay a recurring fee for access to the platform or Instacart+ where you are paying for monthly access to lesser fees or faster delivery on orders you make
Physical Products
This is the most common type of e-commerce product, physical products are shipped out to businesses or consumers from sales made on their website or social media.
Digital Products
A digital product is a work, such as software, video, music, or an ebook, delivered electronically, such as through a file on the Internet.
Services
Services are the non-tangible goods a business provides to its customers, whether digital or in person.
« Back to Glossary