Various Ecommerce Website Types and Business Models

Most basically defined, ecommerce is any commercial transactions that occurs online. And you would have to have been living under a rock not to notice that ecommerce sites can at once be very diverse but also share many features in common.

Aesthetically at least, the diversity is almost endless, which is good news because one of the most important things to do for ecommerce success is to stand out among the millions of other sites that exist.

Azola Creative, experts in web design and lead generation services, say that perhaps the single biggest advantage of hiring a professional web developer is that they can help you stand out from the pack.

However, it isn’t all aesthetics. There are also different ecommerce sites that operate in different ways and serve different business models. If you are at the outset of your ecommerce venture, you should certainly have a clear idea of what type of business model you are following.

The functionality of a good ecommerce site is something that is fairly set and divided into several categories. Even within these categories however, there is much that is shared in common.

For example, all good ecommerce sites need to be wieldy enough for visitors to find what they are looking for. They also need to be SEO optimized and they need to have a secure checkout. Such are the basics, at any rate.

Different Ecommerce Websites

As mentioned, each different type of ecommerce site serves a particular business model the best. In the interest of helping you work out what is right for you, here follows some of the most common. Bear in mind thoughthat standing out and being as original as possible is still important.

B2B Ecommerce

B2B (business to business) is one of the most basic ecommerce categories, and it includes any business that sells their products or services to other businesses (rather than to customers). Naturally, they can be remarkably diverse beyond this basic designation.

Nevertheless, B2B websites typically take a more functional approach and rely less on flashy marketing and targeting short attention spans. Accordingly, there might be much more information on B2B website pages, a more sober layout,andtypically more diversity in payment options.

B2C Ecommerce

Another very general category is the one that includes all B2C (business to consumer) websites. These websites are the ones which rely more on making an impact and grabbing the attention of fickle consumers. The website must also be extremely easy to use, and it should be simple for customers to find a specific product.

C2C Ecommerce

C2C (consumer-to-consumer) ecommerce includes giants like eBay as well as many smaller companies that facilitate individuals selling goods to other individuals. Naturally, these websites need to make that process simple for both the seller and the buyer. The party conducting business here is not a professional, and so there needs to be a business interface that is as easy to use as the customer interface (often being one and the same).

Affiliate Ecommerce

These types of sites sell another company’s goods to customers for a commission. Obviously, they need to balance their own branding with that of the other company, and this balancing act is indeed the defining feature of these sites. Beyond that, these websites need to be just as easy to use and attractive as other B2C ecommerce sites.

So, these are some of the most common ecommerce website types and business models. If you want to get in on the action, the very first thing to do is find out what one applies to you. Beyond that, it is time to get creative and to stand out.