Week 3: Clear

$ E-Commerce $

Short for "electronic commerce", e-commerce is a business transaction that occurs over an electronic network such as the Internet. It describes all business transactions that happen over the computer, on the Internet. E-commerce is a rapidly growing, convenient way to shop, trade, buy and sell without having to leave your home or office.

There are 3 different types of e-commerce, depending on who the buyer and seller are:

1. Business-to-Consumer: (B2C) Is the sale of goods and services to the general public.

Example: Wal-mart

2. Consumer-to-Consumer: (C2C) Is when consumers purchase directly from other consumers.

-Online auctions are a very common vehicle for C2C transactions, where a customer bids on an item being sold by another customer.

Example: eBay

3. Business-to-Business: (B2B) The most popular means of e-commerce occurs between two businesses.

-Business often sell their services, like online advertising, recruiting or market research, to other businesses.

Example: HRmarketer

But what would e-commerce be without the ability to take it with you?

$M-Commerce$

M-commerce, or "mobile commerce", is the e-commerce counterpart for use on mobile devices. An article written by Matt Bishop in the E-Commerce Times gives an interesting and educational view on the topic of m-commerce in today's society:

"As the number, power and flexibility of mobile devices has increased, so has their use for shopping. In 2008, a Nielsen survey found that 9 million people in the United States "have used their mobile phone to pay for goods or services," and many more expect to do so soon. In a 2009 survey by Deloitte, 45 percent of respondents said they would use their mobile phone to research prices, and 25 percent said they would use their phone to make purchases."

New technologies are going underway to expand m-commerce among consumers, as mobile purchase ability brings forth immense business retail opportunity. Companies like Amazon and Overstock.com have created free i-Phone applications where users can search, browse, compare, buy, track orders, etc. all on your mobile phone. Now all we need is the technology to teleport the items we buy to eliminate shipping costs.

Amazon.com i-Phone App