Blog : What You Need To Know About The Electronic Commerce Models

When thinking about Internet sales, several ideas can assail our minds: what exactly is electronic commerce? Is there only one way to trade on the Internet? To answer these questions, we will draw on three of the most prestigious analysts in the field of Internet commerce, the Americans Donna L. Hoffman, Thomas P. Novak and Patrali Chatterjee.

According to these scholars of the virtual universe, which they consider to be an ideal way to trade goods or services, there are several Internet-based business models or scenarios that we will explain below. It consists of using the Internet as an electronic sales channel. Online stores offer one or more products or services, the purchase of which takes place through email, filling out an online order form, or using traditional systems such as fax or telephone. In principle, this is the model that anyone who decides to sell online through their own online store will adopt, although there are other forms of virtual commerce worth mentioning.

This business model consists of the use of the Network by certain companies to achieve a greater presence in the market. In turn, this model can be divided into several subgroups: Flat Ad: This is a website with non-hypermedia links.

Image: Refers to the website of a company in which hardly any informative content is included. Information: In addition to basic information, the portal includes information of high added value, such as the company's annual accounts, reports prepared by its members, or a series of links to other organizations. It should be noted that small companies, such as our future online store, can use Internet presence to differentiate themselves from large companies.

Among the most widespread content portals, online databases stand out, which collects data related to online stores that request it. Thanks to these web pages, any user of the Network can access this information quickly and easily.

Along with the aforementioned virtual business models, it is worth noting the existence of other more complex ones: The Malls: This is a collection of online stores that are grouped into a single portal, something like a large virtual shopping center.

Incentive site: Similar to malls, these are websites that attract potential consumers and then encourage them to enter the domains of the online stores that comprise it. Search agents: These are domains that allow searches to be done based on keywords.