B2C Ecommerce
B2C (business to consumer) is basically a group of commercial units that help in the transaction of the consumers with items and services. It incorporates shopping, online, searching information (e.g. railway timetables), and games. Common items purchased via internet transaction are airline tickets, book, PC, videos, and music disks.
B2C model concentrates more on commodities and buying methods such as tickets, storage goods and display items. In general any trade that provides a retail item to people belongs to this type. This involves buying a web space, buying a host ing plan and writing articles or contents. Build It! site is integrated software for all kinds of ecommerce.
Online mediators facilitate the deals carried out between the trader and the consumer. These mediators get a small amount of the transaction value and form the main group of b2c companies. Its main objective is to aggressively transform shoppers into customers.B2C is product driven by offering maintenance of software networks of other business groups and facilitating growth in advertising, trading, profits and efficiency. Marketing sites and other sites that aim decision makers, managers and business holders are few examples. It does not need costly infrastructures.
The mediators are of two types: (1) Intermediaries, (2) Informediary.
Intermediaries: These are the mediators such as Amazon, Yahoo, and Google.
Informediary: This is a website that conveys trader’s specific information of the products, services and their customers.
Information is exchanged between business and consumer through the medium of internet and the information can be a customer request of product orders/services, product details.
Advantages of Ecommerce
>> Cost and offerings of the items can be changed immediately.
>> Call centre’s can be incorporated with the websites.
>> The Experience of purchasing can be improved by Broadband.
>> Telecommunications.
>> Shopping can be much more convenient and faster.
Building traffic & customer loyalty pose to be the challenges for B2C ecommerce.
Types of Services
Auction stores uses bidding mechanism such as presentation of products by multimedia, integration of bidding process with contracting, payments, and delivery. E-Bay is the best example of this model. It is very convenient as the bidder can partake in bidding from his office or home. The bidding duration can be for days or weeks. The net sale site is global and inexpensive to work with. The only disadvantage is the items can not be physically checked and bidder has to rely on the information provided by the site.
Online stores (e.g. Amazon.com) - They offer advertisement of the products on web to promote the company, its goods and services and to sell its items. Amazon.com is the best example that started selling books online and progressively started selling other products. This benefits the company by reducing expenses to reach global customers, advertisements, and sales. The customers benefit in return, as they get low prices, more choice, better information and convenience.
E-Bay, Amazon etc remain at the top because of their ability of effective communication and value to the customer.
Shopping through the online stores is fast gaining popularity and acceptance. B2C transaction is projected to progress in the future years. However, to enable this to happen, online shops need to contribute considerably significance to the consumers and also workout on new strategies to generate business.
Online Services
Companies are using net to provide consumer services e.g. supply business and facility sector banks. MaketheMove.com provides users to set-up, transfer or cancel utilities like gas, electric, local phones, long distance, wireless telephones, paging, newspaper etc.
B2C helps in immediately establishes communication between the various members of a business system thus reducing the “time to sell” new products. Products can be accessed globally, 24 X 7 X 365 and also new markets. This model eliminates the middlemen concept and offers simple electronic supply and product segregation based on customer’s choice.B2C facilitates in automating transactions between electronic businesses, maintains real-time exchange of data and also helps in increased collaboration and convergence that helps economy to scale .It is easier to place orders and fulfil them.