Business-to-Consumer (B E-Commerce (2C) - Business Models Seek Profitability

BUSINESS MODELS SEEK PROFITABILITY

B2C e-commerce is conducted essentially via three business models.

• Pure-play online retailers, such as Amazon.com, sell only over the Internet. They do not sell offline and do not have traditional brick-and-mortar stores that consumers can visit.
• A second type of online retailer includes companies that have traditional stores or sell offline through catalogs or mail-order, but that also have a presence on the Web. These are known as "bricks-and-clicks" because they sell to consumers both through an offline channel and an online storefront.
• A third category consists of portals, such as America Online, where goods and services from several online retailers are offered to consumers.