Custom eCommerce development is an activity that has grown exponentially in recent years, as new technologies and the constant progress of the internet have made more people use different platforms and stores to buy or make any transaction.
Custom e-commerce development is present in almost all commercial activities that we perform on a daily basis, which makes it a phenomenon that grows every day and without limit.
The number of people and companies using custom e-commerce development is growing every day. It is an idea that this activity is here to stay and revolutionize the sales world for small, medium, and large businesses.
What is e-commerce?
E-commerce means “electronic commerce”. Currently, this term is defined as any business or transaction that is carried out by electronic means, mainly through the Internet, but at first, e-commerce encompassed other types of computer networks.
However, with the popularization of the internet, nowadays, when we talk about e-commerce, we refer almost exclusively to the purchase of products or contracting of services through the internet in any of its forms: websites, apps, games or special platforms.
The advances of the internet and new technologies brought with them the change of consumer and the need to develop custom e-commerce websites. Today, people know that they can make a purchase, a sale, hire a service or make a transaction at any time of the day due to the omnipresence of the Internet.
Customers do not have to wait for a certain day of the week or time of day to go to the store to make a purchase; they can make a purchase through their electronic device, pay online, that is, with their credit or debit card, or offline, for example, by printing out a code with which they pay manually.
In turn, these new consumers produce information and play an essential role in e-commerce development. Customers are now prosumers, which means that they are people who consume but at the same time produce at the same time. They do this by rating with stars, giving ratings, and writing reviews of their experiences as consumers so that others repeat their good experiences or do not go through a bad one.
Types of ecommerce
Depending on the target audience
B2C (Business to Consumer)
Ecommerce aimed directly at the end consumer. It is the most common type and within it we can find many examples, from online hardware stores to organic fashion stores.
B2B (Business to Business)
Ecommerce whose target audience is other companies, for example, office supplies stores. They tend to be ones that sell various products to other businesses that are smaller.
C2C (Consumer to Consumer)
This type of ecommerce has flourished in recent years with the rise of online shopping. These are consumers who sell directly to other consumers, generally second-hand products.
In addition to these three types, which are the most common, there are also alternatives such as C2B (Consumer To Business), G2C (Government to Consumer), B4B (Business for Business) or B2E (Business to Employer), which are also used in various e-commerce services companies.
Depending on the business model
Own online store
The simplest model is simply a digital version of the brand’s physical stores, selling its own products. It can be an online-only business, or it can have both e-commerce and physical stores.
Marketplace
A marketplace is a kind of “macro-store” that includes several sellers. The best-known example is Amazon, where anyone can sell in exchange for a commission.
Dropshipping
From the customer’s point of view, dropshipping is no different from a standard online store. But instead of managing its own inventory, in this case, the seller merely displays and promotes the products and a third party is responsible for shipping.
Affiliate
In digital marketing, the affiliate model consists of using third parties to promote products or services in exchange for a commission. The affiliate places links to refer the customer to the other store, where the sale is closed. For example, affiliation with Amazon is quite common.
Subscription
Instead of selling products or services individually, in this case, the goal is for consumers to sign up for a monthly membership and receive products at home on a regular basis. For example, this is the case of the famous “surprise boxes”, which are nowadays implemented in many sectors.
Is e-commerce profitable in a business project? Get to know its advantages
Ecommerce has been a revolution in selling and can be adapted to all kinds of sectors.
Depending on the business model that a company manages, this activity may or may not adapt to the area in which someone is going to specialize, everything will depend on the approach and how they use e-commerce as an ally for sales.
These are some of the advantages of e-commerce:
Greater reach for your business
With an online store, you will automatically be accessible from all over the world (although you will always have to take into account which countries you can and cannot ship to). On the other hand, physical stores always have a limited range by definition.
Lower costs
Creating an online store has a very low initial cost, especially compared to renting or buying a store. This makes the barriers to entry much lower and better margins can be achieved than with a traditional store.
Available 24/7
The vast majority of physical stores are limited by opening and closing hours, and the longer they are open, the higher the staffing costs. E-commerce, on the other hand, never closes its doors.
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