E commerce electronic commerce. Everything about e-commerce. Need help studying a topic?

We are confident that all users reading this article realize how significant place The Internet occupies their lives. Global network opened up not only a number of cognitive opportunities for people, but also brought communications between users to a completely new level. new level! Therefore, it was not news to anyone that the Internet began to be used to conduct online business.

Currently, almost every serious and diligent person is able to earn money with the help of world wide web. "How?" - some will be surprised. The answer is simple - through e-commerce!

The concept of e-commerce and its main components

E-commerce– the concept is very broad and includes many categories, which we will definitely discuss later. If we give the most general interpretation of this term, we can say that this is a system of economic relations that are carried out using the Internet. In a narrow sense, electronic commerce is an online entrepreneurship.

E-commerce includes the following global categories:

online trading
electronic data exchange (since in modern world One of the most valuable resources is information)
electronic banking and insurance services
money transfers and electronic funds
electronic marketing (systems for collecting user data, electronic catalogues, directories, bulletin boards)

Today, almost every physically existing commercial organization (even the smallest) has its own website.

This can be a regular information site with basic information about the organization, services, answers to frequently asked questions, and contact information. Or it could be .

It all depends on the specifics of the organization’s work, its scale and goals. Also, this direction is an excellent chance for individual entrepreneurs who decided to try themselves as network businessmen.

In the modern world, more and more processes are becoming automated, so obviously this area of Internet business will continue to develop successfully. Let's talk in more detail about the advantages and disadvantages of online commerce.

Advantages

1) The main advantage is its ability to achieve global market, without necessarily implying large financial investments and costs. The restrictions on this type of trade are not geographically determined. This allows consumers to make global choices, receive necessary information and compare offers from all potential suppliers, regardless of location.

2) Thanks to a direct connection with the end consumer, online entrepreneurship reduces the chain of intermediaries, sometimes even eliminating them completely. This creates a direct channel between the manufacturer or service provider and end user, allowing you to offer products and services that match the individual preferences of your target market.

3) E-commerce allows suppliers to be closer to their customers, leading to increased productivity and competitiveness for companies. The result is an improved customer experience, resulting in greater intimacy as well as more effective pre- and post-sales support. Thanks to these new forms of e-commerce, consumers now have virtual stores that are open 24 hours a day.

4) Reducing costs is another very important advantage, usually associated with e-commerce. The simpler and more convenient a specific business process is carried out, the greater the likelihood of its success. This results in a significant reduction in transaction costs and, of course, the prices charged to customers.

Flaws

The main disadvantages associated with e-commerce are as follows:

1) Heavy dependence on information and communication technologies. This question is especially relevant for Russian market. Not present in all remote regions high speed internet, which would contribute to the development of online commerce;

2) Lack of legislation that adequately regulates new e-commerce activities both nationally and internationally. This also includes a high percentage of fraud in the field of e-commerce and the lack of effective methods fight him.

3) Not all consumers are inclined towards e-commerce. For many customers, the opportunity to “touch” and visually evaluate a product is key factor when purchasing certain products. The inability to fully assess the quality of the purchased item is the main factor hindering the development of e-commerce.

4) Loss of user privacy and insecurity when conducting online transactions. With the development of security technologies, the risk of this factor is significantly reduced. However, losing your money when paying online is much easier than losing it by handing it over personally to a seller in a store.

5) Threat of problems with product delivery, return processing, etc.

E-commerce in numbers

The emergence of e-commerce gradually began to occur in 1998. Today, almost 20 years later, the total turnover of online commerce is $2.36 trillion. China, of course, ranks first in terms of online sales among all countries. Russia is only in 9th place, which means that there are development prospects in this area.

E-commerce is conventionally divided into more than 14 types. Let's highlight some of the most common and interesting ones and tell you more about them.

B2B – the abbreviation means “business to business”
B2C – “business to consumer”
C2C – “relationships between consumers”
C2B – “relationships between consumers and trade organizations”
B2A – “business administration”
C2A – “consumer administration”

Business to business (B2B)

In this type of e-commerce, both participants are commercial enterprises. As a result, the scale and value of B2B e-commerce can be enormous. As an example of such a model, the following situation can be described: a smartphone manufacturing company is looking for wholesalers to sell its products.

Thus, in this scheme, goods are sold for their further resale to end consumers. The main goal of the B2B system is to increase the efficiency of online cooperation between companies.

Any business model is characterized by its own platforms through which trade relations are realized. For the B2B scheme, such platforms are exchanges, auctions and catalogues.

Using the catalog, you can get maximum information about the characteristics and properties of the purchased product. Buyers can also compare products by price, delivery times and conditions, reviews, etc.

Such information transparency can greatly facilitate the client’s choice. Most often, catalogs are created in areas where inexpensive goods are sold, for which demand can be predicted, and the price for which remains almost unchanged.

Auctions are typically held for unique types of items. For example, they may be rare items, specialized technical equipment, etc. Pricing here is never fixed and occurs right at the time of the auction.

The seller displays all of his lots, and numerous buyers offer ever-increasing prices if they are interested in the product. The auction for an item ends after a pre-agreed time, after which the item is awarded to the last highest bidder.

On exchanges, prices are formed in accordance with supply and demand, and therefore they are very rarely stable. The exchange is perfect for selling popular, common and simple goods with easily standardized characteristics. The exchange is also suitable for industries where price and demand fluctuate frequently. Exchanges often provide the opportunity to trade anonymously.

Business to consumer (B2C)

When we hear the term e-commerce, most people think of the B2C model. We can say that this scheme is a logical continuation of the B2B system, because it is the B2C type that ensures the delivery of goods to the end consumer.

Thus, the business-to-consumer type corresponds to our ideas about traditional retailing. The only difference is that in in this case trade is carried out via the Internet.

This type of relationship is most common in online commerce. There are already many virtual stores on the Internet that sell all types of consumer goods such as electronic devices, software, books, shoes, cars, food, entertainment products, services and much more.

The business-to-consumer scheme provides many benefits to both the buyer and the seller:

For the seller, this scheme is beneficial mainly because there is no need to hire a lot of paid staff, as is the case in regular stores. The buyer no longer needs to waste time visiting the store: any product can be bought on the Internet after studying the characteristics and reviews.

Another well-known fact is that any item can be purchased via the Internet cheaper than in a regular store. On household appliances the price difference can be several thousand.

Examples of the largest online stores operating on the business-to-consumer system are: Amazon, ozon, Aliexpress, etc.

Based on the B2B scheme, another branch has emerged in e-commerce. Since 2010, the sale of goods through social media has actively begun to develop. networks, which is why this type of trading is called “social commerce”.

The B2B type is implemented using the following trading platforms:

online stores
Web- showcases
social media

Consumer e-commerce (C2C)

This area concerns trade relations between people who do not conduct business activities. Drawing an analogy with ordinary life, we can say that this is something like an advertisement in a newspaper about the sale of a particular product.

In Russia, well-known bulletin boards act as trading platforms for the C2C format: Avito, Yula, etc. Also, the C2C format began to spread widely in in social networks. Special groups are created in which users post advertisements for the sale of items from any category.

Let's look at a few more existing schemes. Let us immediately note that they are much less popular and you can make money on them ordinary user very hard. The following diagrams are presented mainly to broaden the general horizons.

Consumer Business (C2B)

This type of e-commerce is very common in projects based on crowdsourcing. A large number of people make their services or products available for purchase to companies looking for those specific types of services or products.

Examples of this practice are sites where designers present several options for a company logo, and one of them is selected and purchased.

Other platforms that are very common in this type of commerce are marketplaces that sell photographs, images, multimedia, and design elements.

Business Administration (B2A)

This part of e-commerce covers all online transactions carried out between companies and public administration. This area is typical for areas such as fiscal, social Security, employment, legal documents and registers, etc.

Consumer Administration (C2A)

The consumer-administration model covers all electronic transactions carried out between individuals and the government apparatus.

This scheme can be used in the following areas:

Education- Spread of information, distance learning etc.
Social Security— through the dissemination of information, making payments, etc.
Taxes- feed tax returns, payments, etc.
Healthcare– making an appointment, online consultation, payment for medical services

Both models associated with public administration (B2A and C2A) are closely related to the idea of efficiency and ease of use of services provided to citizens by the government, supported by information and communication technologies.

Main conclusions

Based on the information presented in the article, we will highlight several key points that characterize the main provisions of e-commerce.

— to carry out business transactions, there must be at least two participants. One of them will always act as a seller, and the other as a buyer.

— B2B (business-to-business) system – represents wholesale trade, and goods are sold here legal entities. The B2C (business to consumer) type represents retail and brings the product to individuals(end consumers)

— Any user without special information and computer training will be able to earn money using B2C (business-to-consumer) and C2C (consumer-to-consumer) schemes.

— B2C commerce type is the most common type of e-commerce. Each user will be able to earn money in this way by creating their own online store. You can read more about creating your own online store without investments in this. We also wrote an article about - this is an excellent example that personifies generating income through the C2C system.

- IN total, there are a lot of online business schemes. This list can be expanded to 30-40 schemes, depending on the subjects of economic relations. For example, if we believe that government is a separate entity, we can come up with many more types online trading: B2G (Business to Government), G2B (Government to Business), G2E (Government to Employees), G2G (Government to Government), G2C (Government to Citizen), C2G (Citizen to Government). We remind you that all the main and generally recognized types were discussed in this article.

Conclusion

To summarize all of the above, we can only say one thing: “ continues to develop successfully, penetrating into narrower specialized areas of trade. The future belongs to the Internet and technology. Perhaps in a few decades, users will no longer need traditional retail stores. Until this happens, you just need to know that e-commerce is a great chance to make money and create your own business with minimal investment.

Computer networks have globally changed society, actively intervened in the economy and business activity, influencing the formation of a new type of economic activity - entrepreneurship using Internet systems and telecommunications. E-commerce, electronic commerce already constitutes a significant part of business in Russia, where parties when making transactions on the commodity market interact using computer data exchange via Internet technologies.

What is e-commerce

Thanks to the Internet, doing business remotely through communication has become accessible to entrepreneurs of all sizes: online trading through a virtual distribution channel requires almost no material investment. E-commerce includes both Internet-oriented systems and stores using the communication environment BBS, VAN, etc. The means of payment for such sales are bank cards, electronic money.

Definition

E-commerce is a complex term, defined as an economic area involving the conduct of monetary and trade transactions through computer networks, which also includes business processes necessary to complete operations: electronic marketing, document management, delivery of goods/services. Information storage is organized on WEB servers of organizations that provide Internet services. Access to data is available upon client requests from browser programs.

The term implies the following operations:

on information exchange (Electronic Data Interchange);
on capital movements (Electronic Funds Transfer);
trading (e-trade);
in data collection systems;
on translations Money;
messaging;
use of electronic finance (e-cash);
marketing (e-marketing);
electronic banking (e-banking);
with electronic catalogues;
for insurance services (e-insurance);
with electronic forms;
in “partner” systems;
in news and information services.

Basic Concepts

Commerce on the Internet is implemented in the field of the network economy - an area where any company or person can interact with other entrepreneurs on joint transactions at minimal cost. The communication technologies used include: electronic information exchange (EDI), payment electronic system(EFT), additional services (value-added network).

Online stores, as a trading platform based on a web server for selling goods/services on the Internet, are the basis for the operation of an e-commerce system. The commercial transaction of selling goods through a virtual store includes a number of transactions. A transaction is a separate operation performed within the entire business cycle of an organization. To verify the authenticity of the participants in a transaction, authentication is required - a procedure for controlling the parties, the positive result of which will be the authorization of the user with the opening of access to the resource.

Advantages and disadvantages

The development of entrepreneurship through the Internet is attractive due to the low cost of acquiring a huge sales market with the expansion of business boundaries and access to the international market. This business model has no time restrictions, allowing sales around the clock, seven days a week, which significantly increases sales and income. For the consumer, e-commerce provides the benefits of buying cheap products while saving time in searching. The expansion of remote services opens up access to other areas, for example, electronic insurance services.

There are certain disadvantages that limit the use and development of e-commerce:

Internet use does not reach a total level due to computer illiteracy, financial problems or mistrust of a number of potential users;
the system is not suitable for selling perishable products;
Many people are confused by the delivery time, possible problems when returning goods.

History of development

The first commercial experience of doing business with the help of communication technologies was obtained in the USA in the 60s. XX century: American Airlines together with IBM began to create automated system booking seats on flights – Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment. Thanks to SABRE, independent remote purchasing of tickets, flights have become more affordable for passengers, and reservation automation has reduced the cost of fares.

Initially, maintenance was organized using our own electronic information exchange protocols. For development and acceleration, Electronic Data Interchange, transmission standards were created emails between users. By the 70s there were already 4 industrial designs information exchange when driving transport. At the same time, the Tradacoms specifications were developed in the UK, defined by the UN European Commission as a standard for international trade in data exchange.

In the world

In the 1980s, the merging of US and European specifications began. The EDIFACT template, formed on the basis of GTDI, began to be used to obtain the X400 mail transfer protocol, this brought e-business to a new level. If in 1996 sales via the Internet were in their infancy, then by 2000 distance commerce had already become a significant part of the economy with a steadily growing electronic movement of capital. Companies have also appeared that teach how to make money remotely via the Internet, a prime example of this is INFINii.

In Russia

Internet network used by half of the Russian population, this type of trade is interesting to the merchant and the client. A well-known example of demand for services in Russia: e-Commerce Partners Network (ePN). According to Data Insight, Russia ranks 5th in the global market in terms of sales volumes. However, the development of our own electronic platforms is hampered by the lack of legal regulation in national legislation. Organizations do not have legal protection, which gives rise to competitive unfairness.

Types of e-commerce

Forms of e-commerce are distinguished by interaction patterns:

For organizations:

Business-to-Business B2B. Business to business (partner).
Business-to-Consumer B2C. Business-consumer.
Business-to-Employee B2E. With an employee.
Business-to-Government B2G. With the government.
Business-to-Operator B2O. With a telecom operator.

2. For consumers:

Consumer-to-Administration C2A. With administrators.
Consumer-to-business C2B. Consumer-business.
Consumer-to-Consumer C2C. Consumer-consumer.

3. For the administration:

Administration-to-Administration A2A. Between administrations.
Administration-to-Business A2B. With commercial organizations.
Administration-to-Consumer A2C. With consumers.

4. Other models: for the state, for society;

Decentralized-to-Consumer D2C. Decentralized consumer relations based on Blockchain technology.
Government-to-Business G2B. Government and commercial organization.
Peer-to-Peer P2P. Between persons.

What is the difference between e-business and e-commerce

The full cycle of any business consists of marketing research, production, sales and payments, and the measure of involvement in this process information services and communication technologies determines the level of classification of business to the electronic type. Commerce is a part of e-business, being a form of supply and delivery of products, where selection, ordering, and payment for goods occur through computer networks. Buyers can be individuals and organizations.

E-commerce market

This type of commerce is diverse. Main flow areas:

marketing;
sale and purchase, including electronic stores and bulletin boards;
development and production of a product simultaneously by several companies, including through the search for cooperation through the “partner” system;
administration (taxes, customs);
transport services;
accounting;
payment systems;
resolution of conflicts and disputes.

Prospects for the development of e-commerce

E-commerce, bringing increased competition and cost savings to business against the backdrop of a global expansion of business interests, has great potential for the benefit of the consumer and for the development of business, including joint commercial management trading partners. According to forecasts, by the end of 2019, at least 60% of sales will be carried out online.

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E-commerce is one of the components of electronic business and includes trade and financial transactions carried out through electronic networks.

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The English term E-Commerce refers to purchase or sale transactions using electronic means, conducting business via the Internet.

Let's look at a simple example of what e-commerce is on the Internet.

This phrase refers to everything related to business automation, organization and support of commercial transactions in the Internet space. Specific examples familiar to everyone include sites by online booking hotels, tickets, online stores.

However, it should be understood that E-Commerce is not limited to online trading. Income can be obtained from commissions from transactions, data exchange and other options.

E-Commerce Categories

E-commerce on the Internet can be represented in the form of three directions. Some sources additionally identify two more.

B2B " ". Transactions are made between companies. The role of the Internet is to organize and speed up the processing of transactions. Players are not limited by resources; they can afford to use new developments in the banking and auditing sectors. We can say that the service sector is a strategic direction for the development of E-Commerce B2B.
B2C “Business client”. The main activity in this category is retail sales. B2C includes the following tools: online stores, services for individuals and online training, online auctions, paid boards for posting advertisements online, trading on online exchanges.
C2C “Client-client”. The key guidelines of this category are communication for the purpose of selling/purchasing goods or services. Toolkit: online auctions, consulting services, flea markets, goods exchange sites, tutoring services, freelance exchanges, .
B2G “Business-state”. Eat general signs with the first category with the difference that the buyer here is government agencies. We are talking about tenders, government procurement, research on sociological topics. An example of a transaction is production social advertising. Various ministries, for example the Ministry of Emergency Situations, order an advertising agency to develop an advertising campaign on a specialized topic.
G2B “Government-Business”. This niche has room to develop. Firstly, it has the weakest technical base. Secondly, technologies are designed to optimize work, staffing and costs, which is important for the government apparatus. Thirdly, this is the weakest area in terms of established communications. Today, among the useful and promising projects can be called implementation electronic digital signatures, reporting to in electronic format.

Types of e-commerce

Types are understood as tools through which players in the E-Commerce market interact.

The list of the most common and used ones looks like this.

Catalog sites, aggregators of goods and services. They provide sellers with the opportunity to post for money, and offer buyers many convenient functions for selection, comparison, booking, etc.
Internet auctions. The main function is to bring together the service provider (seller) and the buyer. They offer the tools necessary to conclude a transparent transaction; the mechanics themselves include insurance against the risks of non-payment, delay, etc.
Websites that distribute films and literature on on a paid basis. This type lies in the plane of digital and intellectual property.
Discount sites. Accumulate offers from suppliers of goods and services with prerequisite- providing a discount.
Online systems that accept payments for public utilities, medical care and others.
Electronic store. This trend area includes a set of actions for purchasing, paying, and delivering goods, implemented by systems with minimal human intervention. You look at the range of products on the website, then place your purchases in a virtual basket and pay with a card.

Taking into account that the concept of E-Commerce includes not only the Internet, you can add several more options.

Selling information. This includes subscriptions to online services and databases.
Electronic banks. They appear alongside traditional banking institutions and use all the necessary degrees of protection. By reducing rental costs, staff can offer more favorable financial conditions, such as lower loan rates.

E-commerce problems

Any innovations require preparation and elaboration of the legal framework. Today there is a whole area of e-commerce risk management.

The main risks are determined by the problems existing in the e-Commerce sector.

Globalization. The very essence of e-commerce helps to reduce distances, as it erases boundaries and helps to establish connections between any points globe. At the same time, issues of intercultural communications, culture of information consumption, principles of doing business in different countries ah remain open and will always be relevant. What are the solutions? Increasing involvement and investment in business not only at the level of numbers, but also partnerships, learning languages, traditions.
Information security issues. Building a commercial activity through an online network requires sophisticated and effective solutions to guarantee confidentiality. One of the ways is to use system certification and access authorization.
Copyright. When distributing a product electronically, it is necessary to consider all aspects related to the protection of property rights. This is also quite an acute problem.
Legal and tax field. Different legislation can be an obstacle. It is not always clear how to interpret transactions and in what jurisdiction to conclude them. Taxation features increase the list of points that need to be agreed upon and unified before a transaction takes place. A solution could be a separate legal framework for e-commerce and the introduction of its standards into the laws of different countries. Obviously, this takes time and resources.
Features of the legislation of individual countries. In addition to issues of formalizing transactions, there are also global legal acts of international and domestic trade with many restrictions, agreements, and conditions. We have to develop a program on how to transfer all this to online transactions and what this or that measure means in e-Commerce.

E-commerce is one of the most powerful engines for the development of technology and international business. It is in the interests of every country and company to promote integration processes and simplification of procedures as much as possible.

Every day humanity begins to use information technology more and more actively. To do this, it uses the Internet. Today, almost all organizations open their websites in this system. Ordinary citizens are not left out either. They start their own pages on various social networks.

Internet is open system with a large audience, allowing for completely new interactions between users. And it is not surprising that it began to be widely used for conducting electronic business. This is a completely new level of not only market and economic, but also socio-cultural relationships between organizations and people.

History of creation

It represents the integration of legal entities and individuals who work in the field of e-commerce. All of them are united in a network of entrepreneurship. Today, such a system is being developed at the level of the entire global Internet.

What is e-commerce? Unlike e-business, this concept has more narrow meaning. It involves using the Internet as information channel for the purpose of organizing business processes. In this case, there is no traditional “money-commodity” scheme. It is replaced by “information-information”.

E-commerce is nothing more than online shopping. Moreover, this type of activity appeared back in the days when humanity was not familiar with the Internet. This happened in 1979, when the American Michael Aldrich decided to combine a computer and cable TV. To do this, he used stationary telephone lines. This technology allowed users to order a product that was shown on the screen. It was only in 1990 that the first browser was invented by Tim Behrens. After this, e-business and e-commerce began their rapid development. Thus, in 1992, Charles Stack opened the world's first online store selling book products. In 1994, Amazon.com began its work, and in 1995, E-bay.

The development of e-commerce in Russia can be characterized by the following stages:

1. 1991-1993 During this period, the Internet has been a means of communication only between scientists, technical centers, computer specialists and government organizations.
2. 1994-1997 At this time, opportunities worldwide network The population of the country is beginning to become actively interested.
3. From 1998 to the present, e-business and e-commerce have been actively developing with the help of the Internet.

New opportunities

Enterprises running their business in traditional way, are responsible for every stage of their activities. At the same time, they spend huge amounts of money on the development of the product and its production, further delivery and sale of finished products. Material and technical support for the entire implementation process also requires large financial resources.

But then e-commerce appeared. She began a gradual transformation of enterprises into a network virtual organizations. Moreover, each of the members of this community has the opportunity to concentrate their activities in the most appropriate areas. This made it possible to deliver the most complete production solution to consumers.

After e-commerce appeared, business received new opportunities. With this modern tool it is possible to:

Organization of video conferences;
- conducting online training;
- development of new marketing models;
- creation of business information environment systems;
- obtaining a variety of information;
- implementation of financial interaction;
- development of new relationships between companies based on electronic technologies;
- opening of new cheap channels;
- strengthening cooperation;
- support for alternative ideas;
- development of a new economy of production and purchase of goods.

The main tasks of trading on the Internet

The use of e-commerce involves:
- establishing preliminary contacts with potential suppliers, clients and customers via the Internet;
- exchange of documents created electronically, which are necessary for carrying out purchase and sale transactions;
- sale of goods or services;
- pre-sale advertising of products and post-sale support for the buyer in the form of detailed instructions on the purchased product;
- electronic payment for purchased goods using electronic money, transfers, credit cards and checks;
- delivery of products to the client.

Business-to-business scheme

There are different types of e-commerce. Moreover, their classification presupposes a target group of consumers. One type of e-commerce is business-to-business, or B2B. Such interaction is carried out quite simple principle. It consists of one enterprise trading with another.

Despite the fact that today there are other types of e-commerce, B2B is the most actively developing area with the best prospects. Thanks to Internet platforms, the entire trading process becomes more efficient and transparent. At the same time, a representative of the customer enterprise has the opportunity to carry out interactive control of the entire process of performing work, providing services or supplying goods. To do this, he uses the databases of the selling organization.

A feature of the business-to-business model is that in this case, conducting e-commerce is impossible without fully automated interaction between organizations to carry out business activities. And this has a very profitable prospect. Conducting business in the B2B sector, the company simultaneously solves the problem of its internal management.

Trading platforms for the business-to-business scheme

In e-commerce, there are special places where transactions are concluded and related financial transactions are carried out. That's what it is trading platforms, which in this case are virtual. They can be created:

Buyers;
- sellers;
- by a third party.

Today, there are three types of trading platforms for the B2B model. This is an exchange, auction and catalogue. Let's take a closer look at them.

Creating a catalog promotes the use of those search capabilities, which modern Information Systems. In this case, the buyer has the right to compare and choose a product by price, delivery date, warranty, etc. Catalogs are used in those industries where transactions for the sale of inexpensive goods are the most frequent, as well as where demand is predictable and prices change very rarely.

As for the auction, this trading platform model is characterized by non-fixed prices. The final price of the goods is determined during the bidding process. Auctions are used when the goods or services being sold are unique in their kind. This could be rare items or capital equipment, inventory, etc.

The third type of virtual trading platform - the exchange - is distinguished by the fact that the prices it offers are regulated by supply and demand, and therefore are subject to strong changes. This model is ideally suited for the implementation of common items that have several easily standardized characteristics. The exchange is most attractive for those markets where prices and demand are unstable. In some cases, this model allows you to trade anonymously, which is sometimes important for maintaining competitiveness and constant prices.

Experts predict good prospects for e-commerce using this model. First of all, such sales are beneficial to buyers. After all, trade takes place on a corporate commercial portal without the participation of intermediaries. In addition, such a trading platform is characterized by the work of one seller with a large number of buyers.

IN Lately New types of sales models have also emerged in the B2B sector. These are catalog systems that bring together several sellers. Electronic platforms are also starting to operate, combining the features of an exchange and an auction. Such e-commerce reduces time and financial expenses for selection and search best products, as well as for the execution of the transaction between the buyer and the seller.

Business-to-consumer scheme

E-commerce, built on the B2C principle, finds its application in the case when the clients of an enterprise are not legal entities, but individuals. This is usually the retail sale of goods. This method of completing a commercial transaction is beneficial for the client. It makes it possible to significantly speed up and simplify the purchase of the thing you need. A person no longer needs to visit stores. All he needs to do is study the characteristics of the product on the seller’s website, select the desired model and order the product, which will be delivered to the stated address.

E-commerce on the Internet according to the business-to-consumer scheme is also beneficial for the supplier. He gets the opportunity operational tracking demand, while spending minimal resources on staffing.

Traditional online stores operate according to the B2C scheme. Their activities are aimed at one or another target group of consumers. Since 2010, the so-called social commerce appeared and began to develop. It covers the field of selling services and goods on social networks.

One of the largest enterprises operating on the B2C model is the American company Amazon.com. It sells books and has more than a million customers in all countries of the world. Using the “business-consumer” scheme, the company equalized access to goods between clients of different countries. And it doesn’t matter where the customer lives, in a large city or in a remote region.

Trading platforms for the business-to-consumer scheme

In the B2C sector, goods are sold through:

Electronic stores and shopping arcades;
- Web showcases;
- specialized Internet systems;
- auctions.

Let's take a closer look at these trading platforms. E-commerce by small and medium-sized businesses is usually conducted through online stores. These virtual platforms are nothing more than company websites. A more complex structure is the Internet series. They host several virtual stores simultaneously.

E-commerce in Russia is often conducted through small Web storefronts. These shopping arcades are usually owned by small businesses. The main elements of such sites are catalogs or price lists, which describe the product or service itself, as well as a system for collecting orders received from customers.

Internet trading systems (TIS) are used by large holdings, companies and corporations. Such virtual platforms allow enterprises to increase the efficiency of their supply and sales services, as well as build the most efficient supply chains to ensure production process raw materials, materials, equipment, etc.

Many organizations use special Web sites when conducting e-commerce. Any seller can list their goods on them at the original price. Such Web sites are electronic auctions. Buyers interested in purchasing a product can specify a higher price for it. As a result, the seller enters into a deal with the organization that is willing to pay more.

Consumer-to-consumer scheme

The rise of e-commerce has given rise to C2C transactions. They are committed between consumers who are not entrepreneurs. In this e-commerce scheme, sellers post their offers on special online platforms, which are a cross between a regular push market and newspaper advertisements. For example, in the USA such a provider is ebay.com. It is a third party that allows consumers to complete any transaction in real time. Moreover, they take place directly on the Internet and have the format of an electronic auction. The C2C model has gained great popularity today. At the same time, buyers are pleased with the prices of goods, which are lower than in stores.

Other schemes

What else could e-commerce be? In addition to the most common schemes described above, there are several others. They are not very popular, but they find their application in a number of specific cases. Thus, the use of e-commerce has become possible through the interaction of both legal entities and individuals with government agencies. This applies to filling out forms and collecting taxes, working with customs structures, etc. Such forms of interaction became possible only with the development of Internet technologies.

A significant advantage of such an e-commerce scheme is that it makes the work of government employees easier and payers are freed from some of the paperwork.

Basic rules for entrepreneurs

Everyone who wants to have their own business based on information technology. There are certain simple rules that should be a kind of multiplication table for any seller. Anyone who wants to become a winner in competition must:

Create a convenient website optimized for search engines;
- turn your visitors into buyers;
- carry out marketing activities that will popularize the site on the Internet;
- analyze sales statistics.

Prospects for the development of e-commerce

Today in Russia there are certain factors that have a significant impact on the development of EC. Among them:

The large extent of the country's territory requires reducing the impact of current restrictions on the sale of goods, which are associated with the remoteness of market entities;
- the importance of increasing the merger of Russian business with global information and economic processes;
- the problem of reducing trade costs, which would allow our products to become competitive in the world market;
- the need for more careful control over the sale of goods by enterprises and fiscal authorities themselves;
- the importance of the dynamic development of the technological base of organizations with the introduction of the most modern computer science tools.

The development of EC in Russia is facilitated by the traditionally high level higher education. In addition, the country’s financial authorities have already developed the latest banking technologies, the use of which allows customers to perform transactions. The security of e-commerce in Russia is ensured by available technical solutions. They involve the use of tools that provide cryptographic protection of information provided by participants in virtual trading.

But there are also some problems with e-commerce in our country. Thus, the process of development of virtual trade is significantly slowed down due to:

Low market relations that are new to us;
- imperfections of the legislative framework;
- high degree of monopolization of the economy;
- insufficient development of commodity market infrastructure;
- imperfections in the system of credit and financial relations.