E-Commerce: Goals Objectives, Shopping Cart and Types of E-Commerce

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e-commerce: Software & Shopping Carts, Services, B2B, B2C, G2C, G2G, G2E - Digital Revolution

E-Commerce

  • Any type of business, or commercial transaction, that involves the transfer of information across the Internet
  • Appear one click at customer end
  • Front end (web based)
  • Back end (database driven)

E-commerce tools include computer platforms, applications, solutions, servers, and various software formats manufactured by e-commerce service providers and purchased by merchants to increase online sales.

  • Typically uses the World Wide Web for at least one part of the transaction՚s life cycle
  • online books, music purchases - customized⟋personalized online inventory
  • electronically exchange goods and services with no barriers of time or distance
  • In 1960s, when businesses started using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to share business documents with other fellow companies.
  • In 1979, the American National Standards Institute or ANSI developed ASC X12 as a universal standard for businesses to share documents through electronic networks.

Goals Objectives

  • Values - value that the company will provide to its customers
  • Front end & back end
  • Supply chain
  • Source of revenue
  • Paperless exchange of information

Shopping Cart

Gateway for order, catalog, and customer management

Illustration: Shopping Cart
  • Setup is done in HTML code of the website, and the shopping cart software must be installed on the server which hosts the site, or on the secure server which accepts sensitive ordering information. E-shopping carts are usually implemented using HTTP cookies or query strings. The data related to the shopping cart is kept in the session object & accessed and manipulated on the fly, as the user selects different items from the cart
  • Open-source software: The software is released under an open-source license and is very often free of charge. The merchant must host the software with a Web hosting service. It allows users to access and modify the source code of the entire online store.
  • Licensed shopping cart software: It allows business owners to build their own type of cart and customize it to their specific needs. There is much greater flexibility in changing features and functionality, as well as in adding third-party tools. However, the upfront costs are often higher and require more hands-on expertise for issues and technical support.
  • Hosted shopping carts software: Here a third-party firm hosts the solution and is responsible for server backups, maintenance, and upgrades. The software is never downloaded, but rather is provided by a hosted service provider and is generally paid for on a monthly or annual basis.

Types of E-Commerce

Illustration: Types of E-Commerce
  • Stores selling physical goods – virtual carts
  • Service based stores – consultants, lawyers
  • Digital Product

Mobile E-Commerce or M-Commerce - Smartphones and Tablets

Parties Involved

  • B2B
  • B2C - Amazon
  • C2C – Craiglist, Quikr
  • C2B – iStock
  • B2G – Business to government
  • G2B – government apps
  • G2C – GSTN
  • G2C – birth certificate
  • G2G
  • G2E – government to Employee

Mayank