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MODULE II – CONSUMER ORIENTED E-COMMERCE

Electronic Retailing (E-Tailing)

Electronic retailing (E-tailing) is the sale of goods and services through the internet. E-tailing
can include business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) sales of products
and services.

E-tailing requires companies to tailor their business models to capture internet sales, which
can include building out distribution channels such as warehouses, internet webpages, and
product shipping centers.

Types of Electronic Retailing (E-tailing)

Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-Tailing
Business-to-consumer retailing is the most common of all e-commerce companies and the
most familiar to most Internet users. This group of retailers includes companies selling
finished goods or products to consumers online directly through their websites.

Business-to-Business (B2B) E-tailing

Business-to-business retailing involves companies that sell to other companies. Such retailers
include consultants, software developers, freelancers, and wholesalers. Wholesalers sell their
products in bulk from their manufacturing plants to businesses.

The 7 main types of e-tailing (with examples)

There are a wide range of e-tailing businesses and yours is likely to fall into one of the following
seven categories:

1. Online retailers - independent ecommerce apps and websites like ASOS, Target and Walmart
2. Marketplaces - online platforms that bring multiple sellers and buyers together in one place,
including Amazon, eBay and Alibaba
3. Coupon providers - e-tailers offering limited-time sales events with discounted prices on
specific products like Groupon and Woot
4. Subscription-based model - e-tailers providing products that customers pay recurring fees for,
like Dollar Shave Club or HelloFresh

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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5. Social commerce - e-tailers using social media channels like Instagram, Facebook and
Pinterest to sell their products
6. Auction sites - e-tailers using eBay to sell their products in a specific time frame via a
bidding process
7. Online classifieds - e-tailers enabling individuals and businesses to list products or services
for sale and connect with them directly, like Craigslist and Gumtree

How does e-tailing work?

Most e-tailing businesses are powered by online selling platforms that facilitate the selling and
distribution of their products to consumers. Here’s how the process typically works:

1 - Create an online store

If you want to become an e-tailer, you’ll need to create your own online store. This could be a
website, a mobile app or you could create both to ensure both desktop and mobile users are
catered for.

2 - Upload (and manage) your inventory

Once you’ve created your online store, it’s time to fill its shelves. Uploading product images
and descriptions while attaching associated pricing information is the first port of call. This
will all be displayed in a user-friendly product catalogue that makes it easy for customers to
browse, see other customer reviews and make purchases. In-built inventory management tools
will then help you monitor your stock levels and update product availability, ensuring you don’t
undersell or oversell items.

3 - Enable secure payments

By providing a range of secure payment options, including debit and credit card as well as
mobile payments like Google Pay and Apple Pay, potential customers are less likely to abandon
their carts.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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4 - Fulfil customer orders

You have a number of options when it comes to fulfilling customer orders. Instead of physically
holding inventory in storage, many retailers opt for a dropshipping business model. This means
you only have to display and sell the items, while a third party fulfils the orders, taking care of
packaging and shipping. Of course, this comes at a price, but it is widely regarded as a more
cost-effective option than investing in your own storage facility, particularly in the early stages
of your business venture.

5 - Provide customer support

Whether through email, live chat or phone support, you need to provide customer assistance
for order-related issues, while handling customer feedback.You should think about automating
your returns to free up your own time or that of your customer service team, as these will
account for lots of the enquiries you deal with.

6 - Create a digital marketing strategy

To attract people to your online store, you can choose from a wide range of strategies. Chief
among these are:

• Search engine optimization (SEO) - a free marketing strategy that helps your products appear
towards the top of the search engine results page, encouraging conversions

• App store optimization (ASO) - a free marketing strategy that helps your app gain visibility
on mobile app stores, encouraging downloads

• Email marketing - a free marketing strategy that allows you to send offers and promotions
directly to your customer base
• Display advertising - a paid marketing strategy that gets your products in front of your target
audience on social media, encouraging conversions
• Influencer marketing - a paid marketing strategy that leverages the profiles of trusted
individuals in your niche to sell your products

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
 VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

While you should test several of these options, it's likely that your target audience will respond
to some channels better than others. Once you work out what these are, you can dedicate more
budget to them and less to ineffective channels.

7 - Analytics and optimization

Once your business starts generating revenue, it’s important to use analytics to improve your
performance. E-tailing platforms provide you with this, including customer behaviour insights
as well as historical and real-time internet sales dataThis allows you to understand what your
best and worst-performing items are, forecast future demand and create a more targeted online
marketing strategy.

Key benefits of e-tailing

Although we covered some of the key benefits of e-tailing in the section above, here are six
key takeaways:

1. Global reach - because e-tailing uses the internet, it overcomes the geographical barriers
involved in traditional retailing
2. 24/7 availability - online stores have no set business hours, meaning customers can shop at
their convenience
3. Cost efficiency - with e-tailing, you don’t need a brick-and-mortar store and you can
leverage dropshipping to keep order fulfilment costs down
4. Data analytics - make it easier to understand user behaviour, anticipate seasonal demand,
optimise customer experience and, ultimately, increase online sales
5. Expanded product variety - because you don’t need to stock physical products as an e-
tailer, you can offer a wide range of products
6. Targeted marketing - using customer data analytics, you can understand your target
demographics and create marketing campaigns personalised to them

Traditional Retailing
Traditional retail in India refers to the practice of selling products or services through physical
stores, such as mom-and-pop stores, Kirana stores, bazaars, and weekly markets. These stores

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

are typically small and family-owned, and they offer a limited range of products. They are often
located in residential areas and cater to the needs of the local community.

Kirana stores: Kirana stores are small, neighborhood grocery stores that sell a variety of food
items, household goods, and other necessities. They are often family-owned and operated, and
they play an important role in the daily lives of many Indians.

Weekly markets: Weekly markets are held in different parts of the city on a weekly basis.
They sell a variety of goods, including fresh produce, meat, fish, and other food items. Weekly
markets are a popular place for people to buy their groceries and other household items.

Street shops: Street shops are small, open-air shops that line the streets of many Indian cities.
They sell a variety of goods, including clothing, jewellery, souvenirs, and other items. Street
shops are a popular place for tourists to buy souvenirs and other items.

Hawkers: Hawkers are street vendors who sell a variety of goods, including food, drinks, and
other items. They often move around from place to place, and they are a common sight in many
Indian cities.

Public distribution system: The public distribution system (PDS) is a government-run

program that provides essential food items to low-income households. The PDS operates
through a network of ration shops, which are small, government-run stores that sell subsidized
food items.

Electronic Retailing (E-tailing)

Electronic retailing (e-tailing) is an internet-based sales platform where consumers are able to
buy and sell goods online directly from a business without physically inspecting the goods.
When retailing is done completely online, organizations are faced with a plethora of different
challenges and difficulties when constructing their business model.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

1. Business-to-Business (B2B) E-tailing

Business-to-business (B2B) e-tailing occurs when a business purchases a product or service

from another business’s website, for its own use or to use as a component in its own products.
The business model differs in B2B transactions when conducted online because fast shipping,
quality, and price become increasingly more prominent.

2. Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-tailing

Business-to-consumer (B2C) e-tailing transactions are when a consumer buys a product or

service from a business’s website, such as shoes off a sports apparel company’s website. The
business model differs in B2C transactions when conducted online because consumers are very
demanding and expect fast delivery and guarantees that the product’s quality matches the
online description.

Types of Electronic Retailing (E-tailing)

There are two main types of businesses that offer e-tailing:

1. Pure Play E-tailers

Pure play e-retailers are the types of business that only offer e-tailing and do not operate any
sort of physical stores that customers can walk into. Examples of pure play e-retailers are
businesses such as Amazon, Ali Express, Ali Baba, and drop-shipping businesses.

2. Brick and Click E-tailers

Brick and click e-tailers are businesses that offer both e-tailing and maintain physical brick-
and-mortar stores that customers can shop at.Almost every brick-and-mortar business uses
some form of e-tailing but more prominent brick and click e-tailers that offer exceptional
service include Apple, Foot Locker, and Sport Chek.

E-tailing Challenges

When operating a segment of a business completely online, there are a number of challenges
that businesses face and seek to overcome. They include:
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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

• Some target consumers lack access to the internet

• Complexity in conducting business completely online
• Hackers will attempt to gain consumer information
• High return rate because of lack of physical examination sizing of the good
• Decrease in experience compared to brick-and-mortar shopping
• High costs associated with maintaining a website
• Need for warehousing
• Need for a customer support team for product returns and complaints
• E-tailing legal concerns

Advantages of online retail

The benefits of retailing online include:

• Easy access to market - in many ways the access to market for entrepreneurs has never
been easier. Online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon allow anyone to set up a
simple online shop and sell products within minutes. See selling through online
marketplaces.
• Reduced overheads - selling online can remove the need for expensive retail premises
and customer-facing staff, allowing you to invest in better marketing and customer
experience on your e-commerce site.
• Potential for rapid growth - selling on the internet means traditional constraints to
retail growth - eg finding and paying for larger - are not major factors. With a good
digital marketing strategy and a plan a scale up order fulfilment systems, you can
respond and boost growing sales. See planning for e-commerce.
• Widen your market/export - one major advantage over premises-based retailers is the
ability to expand your market beyond local customers very quickly. You may discover
a strong demand for your products in other countries which you can respond to by
targeted marketing, offering your website in a different language, or perhaps partnering
with an overseas company. See basics of exporting.
• Customer intelligence - ability to use online marketing tools to target new customers
and website analysis tools to gain insight into your customers' needs. For advice on

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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improving your customer's on-site experience, read how to measure your online
marketing.
Disadvantages of online retail
Some negatives of online retail include:

• Website costs - planning, designing, creating, hosting, securing and maintaining a

professional e-commerce website isn't cheap, especially if you expect large and
growing sales volumes. See common e-commerce pitfalls.
• Infrastructure costs - even if you aren't paying the cost of customer-facing premises,
you'll need to think about the costs of physical space for order fulfilment, warehousing
goods, dealing with returns and staffing for these tasks. See fulfilling online orders.
• Security and fraud - the growth of online retail market has attracted the attention of
sophisticated criminal elements. The reputation of your business could be fatally
damaged if you don't invest in the latest security systems to protect your website and
transaction processes. See e-commerce pitfalls - security weaknesses.
• Legal issues - getting to grips with e-commerce and the law can be a challenge and
you'll need to be aware of, and plan to cope with, the additional customer rights which
are attached to online sales. See the law and selling online.
• Advertising costs - while online marketing can be a very efficient way of getting the
right customers to your products, it demands a generous budget. This is especially true
if you are competing in a crowded sector or for popular keywords. See pay-per-click
and paid search advertising.
Key Success Factors

1. Brand name
Create a memorable brand name: Like Amazon, eBay, Flipkart, etc., your business
name and domain name should be simple (maybe just one word) and catchy. It should
be easy to remember and pronounce. The reason is, most of the customers want to shop
the things in brand stores. Therefore, choosing a memorable brand name is the key first
step in starting the ecommerce business.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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2. Design of the store

Attractive design: When it comes to the look and appearance of the storefront, the
design should entice the customers. You have to build the stores with the latest features
and display the array of products in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Create an easy-to-use interface: The user interface is the amazing thing that draws
the visitors’ attention. You can design the store in such a way that makes customers find
products easily and complete the purchase in a short period of time.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Make your site SEO-friendly: You have to build a website that is search engine
friendly as it helps you rank top position in the search engines. For example, Purchase
Commerce is an SEO-friendly ecommerce platform that makes it easy to write a detailed
product description, also allowing its visibility in search engines when someone
searches for those products.

Use relevant keywords: You can use tools like Keyword Planner
and UberSuggest to figure out the long tail purchase intent keywords for your
store. Using these keywords in the product description will increase its visibility in
search engines.

4. Multichannel marketing
Promote on Social Media: As per stats, there are 3.2 billion social media users around
the world. Hence, you can use this excellent opportunity to advertise your
store. Create a Facebook and Instagram business page can boost your brand’s online
presence.

Content marketing: Content marketing is one type of ecommerce strategy where you
can acquire new buyers. Creating content about products and publishing them on your
web page is an added advantage to your site. Also, making a YouTube video about the
product review helps in getting more traffic to your online store.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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5. Personalized buying experience

Customer Satisfaction is the key: Customer satisfaction is the main thing to boost your
business globally. Every new customer is important for your business; therefore, you
should satisfy all the customers’ needs.

Make the customer work simple: Always don’t make the customer confused about
your product. You should make it clear what your business website actually provides.
Hence, display all the details in a well-defined way. Also, your site should have
multilingual support if you want to develop your business globally.

6. Multiple payment methods

In online shopping, 75.6% is the average rate of shopping cart abandonment. To avoid
this, you can provide multiple payment options in your store.

Online payment: The online money transactions are becoming popular now and buyers
are familiar with the net banking payment method. You can provide options like credit
card and debit card transaction along with the net banking to don’t lose out any
customers. You can even offer your store’s wallet to pay the amount.

7. Easy check-out process

Add savelist buttons: ‘Add to Cart’ and ‘Add to Wishlist’ buttons are primary features
in your store. These buttons aid customers to add their desired products. You can make
them mostly red color to make it attractive.

Single page check-out: To save the time of your buyers, you can make a one-page
checkout option. The various segments like personal details, billing statements,
shipping information are all given in the single page. Hence, buyers can quickly check-
out their products.

8. Customer service:
Provide customer service: The first experience is the best experience. So, buyers can’t
forget the first conversation they had with your store. Therefore, providing service to
customers is one of the best ways to improve the customers’ trust in your business.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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Get regular feedback: The customers who are disappointed with your store will give
more negative reviews to others when compared to satisfied people who had a
good experience. Therefore, taking into account the customer’s feedback, you have to
improve the quality of the store.

E-Commerce Retail Models

1. Business to Consumer (B2C)

This is the most common retail model in the traditional shopping world and continues to be so
for online retailers. Here, the retailer is structured as a business (company, sole trader,
partnership, or some other valid type) and sells goods to end users (consumers).
2. Business to Business (B2B)
In many ways, B2B eCommerce retailers are similar to their B2C counterparts, except they
primarily sell to other businesses rather than consumers. We have previously examined some
excellent examples of successful B2B businesses.
3. Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C)
Although B2C is the most common online retail model, B2B2C better represents the traditional
model. This effectively combines B2B and B2C in one process and caters to firms engaged in
vertical integration, i.e., they operate in more than one stage of a distribution chain.
4. Business to Government (B2G)
Some businesses operate in the relatively narrow niche of supplying goods and services to the
various levels of government. Depending on your country, this could range from providing a
few goods to a local council to having a significant contract to supply products to a division of
the national/federal government.
5. Consumer to Business (C2B)
Although we typically think of businesses as the sellers of goods and services, there are a few
exceptions where consumers are the sellers. For example, freelancing has become
commonplace recently, where ordinary people sell their services to businesses. In addition,
there are marketplaces, such as Upwork and Fiverr, that specialize in matching consumer
suppliers of services with business customers.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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6. Consumer to Consumer (C2C)

Another standard eCommerce retail model that many people miss is C2C. A typical example
is somebody listing goods on online marketplaces like Craig’s List, eBay, or Facebook
Marketplace. Often the marketplace is the only business involved in these transactions – the
other participants, buyers and sellers, are consumers engaging in one-off transactions.

Features of E-Retailing

1. User-friendly structure- User-friendly access is one of the most important e-commerce

features that clients look for in an e-commerce website. Customers will switch to other online
retailers if they have trouble using your websites or can’t find what they’re looking for.

2. Global reach- E-commerce, as I already mentioned, is everything. Being everywhere makes

it incredibly practical for us, the users. You can live in New York City and shop for products all
over the world. Because the goods or service is available from anywhere, the customer is wide
and the business grows as a result.

3. Information Density- Rich information is made available to the buyer before, during, and
after the purchase of a good or service thanks to e-commerce. These data are better in quality
and less expensive to give and receive.

4. Customer Reviews- Create a section on the online store’s website where customers can read
product reviews. Reviews are essential for any online business because clients would not have
the opportunity to actually check a product; instead, they would likely rely on reviews left by
other customers.

5. Secure Payment- Make sure to make the checkout stage as simple as possible for the clients
by including a variety of online payment options in the shopping cart in order to increase your
chances of closing the transaction during the primary checkout process. Platforms should have
secure payment gateways for customers to make payments securely.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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6. Mobile Responsiveness- To improve your conversion rate and keep clients satisfied, make
sure your website design is automatically adjusted for the size and form of phones. Mobile
responsiveness to reach more people

7. Universal Standards- Universal standards suggest that your website runs on established
platforms using accepted methods and processes. E-commerce supports a single set of
universally accepted worldwide standards. Everywhere, this is done.

E-Services

E-services are the electronic service. As the name suggests, E-services is nothing but doing our
works using the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in different arenas. It
has become a trend in the fastly moving society. It simplifies the human works. it is usually
done with the help of the Internet.

E-BANKING SERVICES- E-banking is an active area. In the ancient days, the people had to
walk to a long distance to use the banks. They also had to stand in a long line topay or withdraw
money. In that case, E-banking acts as a rescue. It saves the people’s time and energy. They
can use the E-banking services such as the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or the debit or
credit cards to pay and withdraw the money. E-lockers are also introduced to provide safety to
the customers wealth.

E-GOVERNANCE- A key component of the Digital India initiative is providing e-

governance which is aimed at promoting through e-Kranti or electronic delivery of services.
Under this, the central and state governments will pull Information and communication
technologies to grant an integrated services on an end-to-end basis. In fact, the rural e-
governance applications implemented in the recent past have demonstrated the significance of
Informations and communication Technologies in the alarmed domains of rural development.
Some of the recent initiatives that have gone live and are expected to significantly affect rural
areas are:
E-lockers, E-health care services, agriculture, education etc. Moreover, the cyclone announcing
systems allows to get to know the weather and they help in taking necessary precautions during

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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the times of cyclone. Similarly, the web cameras allow the governments to prevent robbery or
any other offensive acts.

E-BILL PAYMENT SERVICES- E-bill payment services act as an important element in the
digital world. In the older days, our ancesters had to walk to a long distance to pay Electric or
water bill. It took a considerable amount of time. Now the condition has been changed due to
the advent of the E-services. The bills can be payed with the help of E-bill payment services.
They can use their internet to pay their bills from home. Credit and debit cards are used to pay
the bills. Similarly, tickets for buses, trains or flights can be booked through online services. It
simplifies the act of travelling. Over all, the E-bill services reduce the time and energy of human
beings.

E-FOOD SERVICES- It is the latest development in the digital era. It is an app developed by
two men while travelling. The E-food app is available in the playstore. If wehave this app in
our mobile phones, we can order the food that we want while we travel through this app. The
food from the nearby branch will be delivered in the railway stations or bus stands. We need
not search for a guaranteed food while travelling. Moreover, the food can also be ordered
through the system of doordelivery. All we have to do is that calling up them and ordering the
food we want. They will be. delivered from the nearby branch at a minimum time. The
Dominos is very popular for its e-food services

E-SHOPPING- E-shopping has become a trend in the twenty first century. It is the easiest way
of purchase. It is true that the world is moving at an air’s speed. Now-a-days, nobody spends
much time for shopping except a few. It is because, they have many works to do and have many
obligations to fulfill. In this case, they prefer E-shopping. It is very easy and simple. They can
order the things or materials by looking their pictures online. The rate for each material will
also be put near the picture. If they like to buy them, they can place the order and can pay the
money through E-banking. They can also pay the amount as cash on delivery. The mostly used
E-shopping sites include: Amazon, Flipkart, shopcluse etc. This E-shopping provides much
options within a very lesser time and with a click of a button.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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E-PORTALS- E-portals are used extensively to connect to various sites. They take us to
various options for the subject we search for. It saves the time of searching. It simplifies the
human work. It provides the informations about all the fields include: science, ethics,
philosophy, economy, mathematics, literature, arts, social works, etc. therefore, it consumes
much time.

HEALTH CARE- There is currently a huge demand-supply gap in the medicare section and
a dearth of 1.5 million-2 million doctors. In addition, as per estimates, around 65 per cent of
people in rural India do not have access to necessary medicines. But then, technology can play
an crucial role in bridging this gap. The e-health initiatives envisaged under Digital India
involve providing online medical consultation, integrating patients’ electronic health records
in a digital locker, online medicine supply and pan-Indian exchange of patient information.

E-EDUCATION

Digital India intiative is the vital important in information and communication system. Both
the central and state government idea is to connect broadband connections in all school
andimportant places. In addition, free Wi-Fi will be granted in all secondary and higher
secondary schools. Moreover, a programme on digital literacy will be implemented at the
national level. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) will be developed and leveraged for
education.

E-Libraries- Libraries play a significant role to collect information. They are the important
providers of knowledge. In the ancient days, the people especially the students and the teachers
had to walk to libraries and search for the books. Now-a-days, the condition has been changed
to a great extent. There are many E-libraries. Some of them include:
bookshouldbefree.com,booksfi.org, projectguttenberg.com etc. these libraries provide many
books online.

Web Enabled Services

Web-enabled services refer to online services that enable customers to complete tasks or
access information remotely.

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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Business Matchmaking Services

Business matchmaking services help foreign companies identify and connect with local
partners in international markets. Factors influencing the choice of the ideal local partner
varies; they may share common business interests with the foreign company, offer
complementary expertise and services, and/or provide key technology. Essentially, the
matchmaking process at the market entry stage is about the foreign company strategizing for
business growth and expansion in the local market.

Selling Information Products Online

Pick Which Information Product You Want to Sell

For the majority of history, information has been distributed in one of two ways – via written
word, such as books, or via spoken word, such as lectures. These methods made the distribution
of information limited and often only available to the ‘elite’. More recent technology has
offered the world significantly easier ways to record, digest, and distribute information.

There are now countless ways to sell information online. Some of these include:

1. Podcasts

2. Webinars

3. eBooks

4. Audiobooks

5. Online Courses

6. Coaching Sessions

7. Membership Sites

8. Templates

9. Checklists

10. Reports

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MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
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Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
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Which of these methods you choose will depend on several factors, such as the type of
information you are selling, your preferred communication style, and the audience you’re
targeting with your information products.

Create Your Information Product

So, how do you pick the information product you’re going to create and sell?

Your own experience and expertise are by far the best place to start when considering this
question. This is especially true if you hold information in a niche that others are keen to learn
and expand their knowledge about. A few popular information niches include:

• Fitness

• Relationships

• Lifestyle

• Finance

• Self-Improvement

• Travel

• Food

• Languages

Once you have picked your niche, you then need to decide exactly how you’re going to deliver
the information.

Determine Your Price Point

Pricing information products can be a little more tricky than pricing physical products. There
are several factors that you need to consider, such as how much time it will take to create the
product, how much your time and expertise is worth, how many copies of the information
product you expect to sell, and what your target audience would be willing to pay.

Find a Name for Your Business

Picking the perfect name for your business can be tricky.

SHYLAJA M, Assistant Professor
MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

When picking your name ask yourself a few questions such as:

What name is relevant to my niche?

What name is different from my competitors?

Am I personally recognized for my expertise? If so, should I use my own name to sell my
products?

Once you have decided on a name you will want to register it to ensure that others can’t use it.
You will also need to check if your specific niche requires you to follow any special regulations
or obtain any special licenses or permits before you can start selling.

Get Online

You have your product, you have a great business name, and you are ready to sell. Now it’s
time to get yourself online. There are several options when it comes to selling information
products online including marketplaces, social media, and via your own online store.

Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay offer a great way to reach a wide audience with your
information products.

You may also use more specialist marketplaces that offer a more tailored audience – these
platforms include the likes of Udemy, Skillshare, and Teachable.

Although marketplaces are a great way to reach your target audience, you will need to pay a
commission on sales or a fee. You also have little control over the platform itself and are
vulnerable to unfavorable changes the platform owners may make.

Social media is another good place to start selling your information products.

Promote Your Website

There are countless ways that you can promote your information product website – here are a
few tried and tested methods to get you started:

SHYLAJA M, Assistant Professor

MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

• Social media – post regular, insightful content that helps position you as a thought
leader

• Email newsletter – regularly send out emails to your list with relevant content and
even special deals

• Paid ads – target your audience with paid ads on platforms such as Facebook,
Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google

• Blogs and webinars – write helpful blogs and host engaging webinars that show your
knowledge in the subject area

Grow Your Online Store

Once you successfully sell online products, it’s time to consider how to grow your business.
Doing this will involve following best practices and learning from your experiences.

For example, it can be beneficial to set up a solid customer support strategy to delight your
customers whenever they need help. You can also collect customer feedback in order to find
the best way to improve, and monitor key metrics to assess how well the actions you are
taking are working.

E-Entertainment

Nowadays almost everyone needs daily entertainment, the goal is different there is to eliminate
saturation, get humour, relieve stress, and can even be a means of education. Entertainment can
take various forms, such as video games, music, and video music. Until now, various kinds of
entertainment are very popular with all circles. Over time, entertainment presents its latest
innovations in the form of electronic entertainment. Then what electronic entertainment is
meant is downloading, playing, or enjoying entertainment media over the internet. Electronic
entertainment can be shortened to e-entertainment. The innovation of e-entertainment is the
ease to get entertainment anywhere and anytime.

e-Auction
An eAuction is a transaction between sellers (the auctioneers) and bidders (suppliers in the
business-to-business scenarios) in an electronic marketplace. It can occur business-to-business,
business-to-consumer, or consumer-to-consumer, and allows suppliers to bid online against
SHYLAJA M, Assistant Professor
MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

each other for contracts against a published specification.This kind of environment encourages
competition, resulting in goods and services being offered at their current market value.

B2B (business to business) E-Commerce

B2B (business-to-business) is a type of commerce involving the exchange of products,

services or information between businesses, rather than from a business to consumer (B2C).
A B2B transaction is conducted between two companies, such as a wholesaler and an online
retailer. In most B2B commerce, each organization benefits in some way and typically has
similar negotiating powers. Nearly all B2B commerce occurs on the internet as e-commerce.
Transactions are conducted via different categories of websites, including the following:

• Company websites. This is the most straightforward model of B2B transactions. A

company uses its own website to sell goods and services directly to its business clients.
Sometimes, a company website uses a secure extranet to provide clients with exclusive
access to product catalogs or price lists.

• Product supply and procurement exchanges. These online exchanges allow a

company's purchasing agent to shop for supplies or raw materials from multiple vendors,
submit requests for proposals (RFPs) and, in some cases, bid on products. Also known
as e-procurement sites, these exchanges can serve a range of industries and be tailored to
niche markets.

• Specialized or vertical industry portals. These portal sites provide specialized

and vertical markets with a more targeted approach than procurement sites. They might
also support buying and selling, and provide information, product listings, discussion
groups and other features for industries such as healthcare, banking and transportation.

• Brokering sites. These sites act as an intermediary between service providers and
potential customers that need their services, such as leasing equipment or services.

• Information sites. Sometimes known as infomediaries, these sites provide information

about a particular industry to companies and their employees. Information sites include
specialized search sites and those of trade and industry standards organizations.

SHYLAJA M, Assistant Professor

MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru
VI SEM B.COM NEP (REGULAR) E-COMMERCE

How does B2B work?

In a B2B transaction, one business, often referred to as a vendor, sells products or services to
another business. Typically, a sales team or department conducts these transactions, rather
than the entire enterprise or a single person. Occasionally, one person on the buyer side
makes a transaction in support of the company's business goals. Conversely, some B2B
transactions involve the entire company's use of a product, such as office furniture, computers
and software licenses. For larger or more complex purchasing decisions, a buying committee
handles the B2B product selection and decision-making process. These committees typically
include the following personnel:

• A business decision-maker, such as the person responsible for the budget.

• A technical decision-maker who evaluates the capabilities of the prospective products.

• Influencers, such as individual users and employees who provide input on how the
product will be used.

Why is B2B important?

Every business needs to purchase products and services from other businesses to launch,
operate and grow. B2B commerce supports these activities. A company uses B2B suppliers to
procure products and services, such as the raw materials they need for production, office
space, office furniture, computer hardware and software. The food that companies stock in
their kitchens and the signs displayed on their office buildings are also examples of products
and services purchased from suppliers.

SHYLAJA M, Assistant Professor

MUKUND G, Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Seshadripuram First Grade College, Bengaluru