E-commerce

What is electronic commerce?

Electronic commerce is called trade (purchase and sale) of goods and services through the internet or other electronic means. This occurs mainly through websites and social networks.

This method uses technological instruments to carry out various commercial operations, without the need for direct contact between seller and buyer.

Ecommerce Features

The characteristics of electronic commerce are the following:

• It provides great benefits, both to the buyer and the seller.
• It is produced through media such as web pages, online stores and social networks.
• In 2019, more than 3,000 million people carried out some transaction related to electronic commerce.
• It enables organizations to save costs, increase their sales and make a profit.
• Although it does not demand a person-to-person relationship, it usually makes use of other communication channels to assist the sale or purchase.

Types of e-commerce

These are the types of electronic commerce that can be carried out:

• Company - company (B2B): commercial transactions carried out between two different companies, via the internet and in which no customers are involved.
• Business - consumer (B2C): commercial relations between the consumer and the producer, to obtain an item or a service through a specific medium.
• Consumer - consumer (C2C): sale, purchase or negotiation of a product between users.
• Company - Employees (B2E): it occurs when a company offers its products to its own employees, through its website.
• Government - consumer (G2C): occurs when the government allows procedures to be carried out over the internet.

Advantages and disadvantages of electronic commerce

Advantage

The advantages of e-commerce are as follows:

• It allows that it is not necessary to go to an establishment, or make long queues, to obtain a product.
• It allows a large amount of cost savings in companies.
• Makes it easier to compare prices.
• It allows you to buy from other parts of the country or various countries in the world.
• It allows for the capacity to offer a large number of varied products.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of e-commerce are as follows:

• It lacks a more direct person-to-person treatment, which can cause problems during the sale.
• It is not possible to test the product before purchasing it.
• It is necessary to have an electronic device with internet access to make purchases.
• There are security risks for both the buyer and the seller.

Examples of e-commerce

The following are some platforms that develop e-commerce:

Amazon- Offers your products to the public and also allows others to use it to sell their own items. It is one of the best known electronic commerce platforms in the world.

Dell: this company offers its buyers desktop computers and laptops, so that they can access offers and other different types of products, through its online store.

Staples- This brand offers a simple design and a high range of products for consumers to choose from through their online store.