E-Commerce - B2C Model

In B2C model, a business website is a place where all the transactions take place directly between a business organization and a consumer.

In the B2C model, a consumer goes to the website, selects a catalog, orders the catalog, and an email is sent to the business organization. After receiving the order, goods are dispatched to the customer. Following are the key features of the B2C model −

Heavy advertising required to attract customers.

High investments in terms of hardware/software.

Support or good customer care service.

Consumer Shopping Procedure

Following are the steps used in B2C e-commerce −

A consumer −

determines the requirement.

searches available items on the website meeting the requirment.

compares similar items for price, depvery date or any other terms.

places the order.

pays the bill.

receives the depvered item and review/inspect them.

consults the vendor to get after service support or returns the product if not satisfied with the depvered product.

Disintermediation and Re-intermediation

In traditional commerce, there are intermediating agents pke wholesalers, distributors, and retailers between the manufacturer and the consumer. In B2C websites, a manufacturer can sell its products directly to potential consumers. This process of removal of business layers responsible for intermediary functions is called disintermediation.

Nowadays, new electronic intermediary breeds such as e-mall and product selection agents are emerging. This process of shifting of business layers responsible for intermediary functions from traditional to electronic mediums is called re-intermediation.