What is e-commerce? ( 1)
With the rapid development of the Internet, the surging websites have turned to "pragmatism", and a remarkable feature of "pragmatism" is that most websites are trying to do real "e-commerce". So what is "e-commerce"?
The so-called e-commerce is to use computer technology, network technology and remote communication technology to realize the electronization, digitalization and networking of the whole business (buying and selling) process. People no longer face to face, look at the real thing and trade by paper documents (including cash). But through the network, through the online dazzling commodity information, perfect logistics distribution system and convenient and safe fund settlement system for trading (buying and selling).
In fact, the whole transaction process can be divided into three stages:
The first stage is the information exchange stage: for merchants, this stage is the information release stage. The main thing is to choose your own excellent products, carefully organize your own product information, set up your own web page, and then join well-known websites with great fame, strong influence and high click-through rate to let as many people know about you as possible. For the buyer, this stage is the stage of searching for commodities and commodity information on the Internet. Mainly according to their own needs, find the information and goods they need online, and choose the merchants with good reputation, good service and low price.
The second stage is the stage of signing commodity contracts: as B2B (business-to-business), this stage is the process of signing contracts and completing the necessary commercial bill exchange. We should pay attention to the accuracy, reliability and invariance of data. As a B2C (business-to-individual customer), this stage is the order signing process to complete the shopping process. Customers should sign the goods you selected online, as well as their contact information, delivery methods and payment methods, and submit them to the merchants. After receiving the order, the merchant should send an email or telephone to verify the above contents.
The third stage is the stage of commodity handover and fund settlement according to the contract: this stage is the key stage of the whole commodity transaction, which not only involves the correct and safe receipt of funds on the Internet, but also involves the accurate and timely receipt of goods distribution. At this stage, the intervention of banks and distribution systems has higher requirements in technology, law and standards. The success of online trading is at this stage.
Characteristics of e-commerce development:
Broader environment: People are not limited by time, space and traditional shopping, and can conduct online transactions anytime and anywhere.
Broader market: The world on the Internet will become very small. A merchant can face consumers all over the world, and a consumer can shop in any merchant in the world.
Faster circulation and lower price: E-commerce reduces the intermediate links of commodity circulation and saves a lot of expenses, thus greatly reducing the cost of commodity circulation and transaction.
More in line with the requirements of the times: now people are increasingly pursuing fashion, paying attention to individuality and shopping environment, and online shopping can better reflect the personalized shopping process.
What is e-commerce? (2)
E-commerce is a new business operation mode based on browser/server application mode, which realizes online shopping for consumers, online trading for merchants and online electronic payment.
E-commerce on the Internet can be divided into three aspects: information service, transaction and payment. The main contents include: e-commerce advertising; Electronic purchase and exchange of transactions and electronic transaction vouchers; Electronic payment settlement and after-sales online service. The main types of transactions are business-to-person transactions (B-to-C mode) and business-to-business transactions (B-to-B mode). There are four subjects involved in e-commerce: customers (individual consumers or enterprise groups), merchants (including vendors, manufacturers, storage and transportation companies), banks (including issuers and acquirers) and certification centers.
E-commerce is a direct product of the explosive development of the Internet and a brand-new development direction of network technology application. Internet itself has the characteristics of openness, globality, low cost and high efficiency, which has also become an inherent feature of e-commerce, greatly surpassing the value of e-commerce as a new form of trade. It will not only change the production and management activities of enterprises themselves, but also affect the economic operation and structure of the whole society.
1. E-commerce electronizes and digitizes traditional business processes. On the one hand, replacing real logistics with electronic flow can greatly reduce manpower and material resources and reduce costs; On the other hand, it breaks through the limitation of time and space, so that trading activities can be carried out at any time and any place, thus greatly improving efficiency.
2. The openness and globalization of e-commerce have created more trade opportunities for enterprises.
3. E-commerce enables enterprises to enter the global electronic market at a similar cost, making it possible for small and medium-sized enterprises to have the same information resources as large enterprises and improving their competitiveness.
4. E-commerce redefines the traditional circulation mode, reduces intermediate links, and makes direct transactions between producers and consumers possible, thus changing the whole social and economic operation mode to some extent.
On the one hand, e-commerce breaks down the barriers of time and space, on the other hand, it provides abundant information resources, which provides more possibilities for the reorganization of various social and economic factors, thus affecting the economic layout and structure of society.
E-commerce refers to the use of simple, fast and low-cost electronic communication methods to conduct various business activities without meeting buyers and sellers. E-commerce can be completed through various electronic communication methods. Simple, for example, you conduct business activities with customers by phone or fax, which seems to be called e-commerce; Now people are discussing e-commerce, mainly through EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) and the Internet. Especially with the maturity of Internet technology, the real development of e-commerce will be based on Internet technology. So some people call e-commerce IC (Internet Commerce) for short.
From the perspective of trade activities, e-commerce can be realized in multiple links, or it can be divided into two levels. The lower-level e-commerce is e-commerce, e-trade, e-contract and so on. The most complete and advanced e-commerce should be to use the Internet to carry out all trade activities, that is, to completely realize information flow, business flow, capital flow and partial logistics on the Internet. In other words, you can negotiate with customers online, place orders, pay (receive) money, open electronic invoices and even pay taxes through electronic customs declaration in one go.
To achieve a complete e-commerce will involve many aspects, besides buyers and sellers, banks or financial institutions, government agencies, certification bodies, distribution centers and other institutions need to join. Because the parties involved in e-commerce don't know each other physically, the whole process of e-commerce is not a copy of business activities in the physical world. Online banking, online electronic payment, data encryption, electronic signature and other conditions and technologies play an important and indispensable role in e-commerce.
What is e-commerce? (3)
Simply put, e-commerce refers to business activities conducted by using electronic networks. But the definition of e-commerce is still not a very clear concept. Governments, scholars and business people in various countries have given many different definitions according to their status and participation in e-commerce. Comparing these definitions will help us to understand e-commerce more comprehensively. ：
1, World Electronic Commerce Conference on the Concept of Electronic Commerce
1997165438+1On 6-7 October in Paris, France, the International Chamber of Commerce held the World E-commerce Conference (the most authoritative concept of e-commerce: e-commerce), which means to realize the electronization of the whole trade activities. In the scope of coverage, it can be defined as: any form of commercial transactions conducted by both parties through electronic transactions rather than face-to-face communication or direct interviews; Technically, it can be defined as: E-commerce is a multi-technology aggregation, including data exchange (such as electronic data exchange and e-mail), data acquisition (shared database and bulletin board system) and automatic data capture (bar code).
2, the definition of government departments
The definition of "e-commerce" given by the European Parliament is: "E-commerce is a business activity conducted by electronic means. It processes and transmits data electronically, including text, sound and images. It involves many activities, including electronic trade and service of goods, online data transmission, electronic fund transfer, electronic securities trading, electronic shipping documents, commercial auction, cooperative design and engineering, online information and access to public goods. It includes products (such as consumer goods and specialized equipment) and services (such as information services, financial and legal services), traditional activities (such as fitness and sports) and new activities (such as virtual shopping and virtual training).
3 the definition of authoritative scholars
Revere Caracota and Andrew B. Whiston, American scholars, put forward in their monograph "Frontiers of Electronic Commerce": "In a broad sense, e-commerce is a modern business mode. This method can meet the needs of government organizations, manufacturers and consumers by improving the quality of products and services and increasing the speed of service delivery. This concept is also used to find information through computer networks to support decision-making. Generally speaking, today's e-commerce connects buyers and sellers' information, products and servers through computer networks, while the future e-commerce will connect buyers and sellers through one of the countless computer networks that constitute the information superhighway?
4 our definition
Shanghai E-commerce Security Certificate Management Center defines e-commerce as "e-commerce refers to the use of digital electronic means for business data exchange and business activities. E-commerce (EC) mainly includes paperless business information exchange between individuals, enterprises and countries by using major technologies such as electronic data interchange (EDI), E-MAIL, electronic fund transfer (EFT) and the Internet.
What is e-commerce? (4)
E-commerce refers to all kinds of business activities, trading activities, financial activities and related comprehensive service activities carried out and completed on a global scale by means of electronic data and information circulation through information networks.
At present, there is no unified definition and statement for e-commerce. E-commerce in a broad sense refers to the way people engage in business activities by using advanced electronic means. However, for different starting points and purposes, people from all walks of life have different views on e-commerce. 1997 1 1 The explanation of e-commerce in the World Business a Henda for Electronic Commerce held in Paris, France is: in business, e-commerce refers to the realization of the electronization of the whole trade activity, and all parties to the transaction conduct various forms of commercial transactions in the form of electronic transactions; Technically, e-commerce has adopted many technologies, such as electronic data interchange (EDI), e-mail, database, bulletin board (BBS) and BARCOAD.
The businesses that e-commerce has involved and can carry out include: the exchange of all kinds of data and information, the relevant details of products and services sold by merchants to customers before and after sale, technical guidance on product use, answering customers' inquiries and opinions, handling the sales process and other services; After the transaction, electronic payment is made by means of electronic bonus transfer, credit card, electronic check and electronic cash; Delivery management and transportation tracking of goods purchased by customers, including the actual delivery of products that can be transmitted electronically, such as software materials; Set up virtual enterprises on the Internet to provide products and services, and organize like-minded companies and trading partners to own and operate * * * business methods; Office operations and administrative operations conducted by government departments and some institutions through the Internet.
The operation of e-commerce is a process of realizing the electronization of online transactions in a wide open environment and system by using unprecedented computer network technology. It connects all parties involved in e-commerce activities, including shops, consumers, transporters, banks and financial institutions, information companies or securities companies and government agencies. The key to the completion of e-commerce transactions is to safely realize the functions of information transmission and online payment on the Internet. Therefore, in order to successfully complete the transaction process of e-commerce, it is necessary to establish the e-commerce service system of the whole society, formulate the norms and regulations of e-commerce, and make safe and practical payment methods and mechanisms for e-commerce, so as to ensure that all parties involved in the transaction and all partners can conduct all business activities in the form of e-commerce safely and reliably.
E-commerce is one of the most advanced trading methods on the Internet, and the network is the most basic framework of e-commerce. E-commerce emphasizes that buyers and sellers, banks or financial institutions, manufacturers, enterprises and all partners involved in the transaction are closely integrated through intranet, extranet and Internet, and engage in * * * commercial electronic applications in the computer network environment to realize real e-commerce on the Internet. The e-commerce market on the Internet is a resource-rich information base, which can provide users with the details of the supply, demand, development and buyers and sellers of various commodities in real time, so that manufacturers can study the market more conveniently, understand the market more accurately and grasp the market. The e-commerce market on the Internet is also a good channel for manufacturers all over the world to advertise. The global Internet enables manufacturers to spread their advertisements in the widest range and at the lowest cost on the e-commerce network.
What impact does e-commerce have on social economy?
E-commerce will change the way of business activities.
The most typical scenes of traditional business activities are "salesmen flying all over the sky", "buyers running everywhere" and "broken mouths and legs", and consumers are tired of looking for the goods they need in the mall. Now, through the Internet, people can browse and buy various products in online shopping malls, and they can also get online services. Merchants can contact customers online, use the network for payment and settlement services, and the government can also conveniently conduct electronic bidding and government procurement.
E-commerce will change people's consumption patterns.
The biggest feature of online shopping is the dominance of consumers, and the willingness to shop is in the hands of consumers. At the same time, consumers can complete transactions in a relaxed and free self-help way, and consumer sovereignty is fully reflected in online shopping.
E-commerce will change the production mode of enterprises.
Because e-commerce is a quick and convenient way of shopping, consumers' personalized and professional needs can be displayed in front of manufacturers through the network. In order to please customers and highlight the design style of products, many enterprises in manufacturing industry have developed and popularized e-commerce. For example, Ford Motor Company of the United States connected 654.38+0.998 million computer workstations worldwide to the company's intranet in March. And the global 6.5438+0.5 million dealers will be included in the intranet. Ford's ultimate goal is to supply cars on demand according to the different requirements of users.
E-commerce will bring a revolution to traditional industries.
E-commerce is in the whole process of business activities, through the combination of people and electronic communication methods, greatly improving the efficiency of business activities, reducing unnecessary intermediate links, making traditional manufacturing industries enter the era of small batches and many varieties, and "zero inventory" becomes possible; Traditional retail and wholesale industries have created new models of "no shop" and "network marketing"; Various online services provide a brand-new service model for the traditional service industry.
E-commerce will bring a brand-new financial industry
Because online electronic payment is the key link and the basic condition for the smooth development of e-commerce, with the breakthrough of e-commerce in electronic transactions, online banking, bank card payment network, bank electronic payment system, electronic check, electronic cash and other services have brought the traditional financial industry into a brand-new field.
E-commerce will change the behavior of government.
The government undertakes a large number of social, economic and cultural management and service functions. In the era of e-commerce, enterprises use e-commerce for production and operation, and e-banking and consumers realize online consumption, which will also put forward new requirements for government management. With the development of e-commerce, e-government or online government will become an important social role.
In a word, as a process of business activities, e-commerce will bring an unprecedented revolution, and its impact on social economy far exceeds that of business itself. In addition to these influences, it will also have a great impact on employment, legal system, culture and education, and e-commerce will bring mankind into the information society.
Three functions of e-commerce
In the modern information society, e-commerce can enable enterprises and individuals who master information technology and business rules to systematically use various electronic tools and networks to engage in various e-commerce activities with high efficiency and low cost. From the perspective of application and function, e-commerce can be divided into three levels or 3S, namely, display, sales and service:
Display (display)
It is to provide e-commerce information. Enterprises publish goods and other information on the Internet in the form of web pages, and advertise on the Internet. Through the exhibition, enterprises can establish their own corporate image, expand their visibility, publicize their products and services, and find new trading partners.
Sales (transaction)
That is, the whole process of traditional trading activities is realized electronically on the Internet, such as online shopping. By selling, enterprises can complete the whole transaction process, expand the transaction scope, improve work efficiency and reduce transaction costs, thus obtaining economic and social benefits.
serve
Refers to all kinds of pre-sales and after-sales services related to business activities carried out by enterprises through the network. Through this online service, enterprises can improve their own e-commerce system, consolidate existing customers and attract new customers, thus expanding their business and obtaining greater economic and social benefits. Enterprises are the protagonists in the development of e-commerce.
How many types of e-commerce applications are there?
E-commerce within an enterprise mainly deals with and exchanges business information through the intranet. Intranet is an effective business tool. Through firewalls, enterprises isolate their intranets from the Internet. It can be used to automatically handle business operations and workflows, enhance access to important systems and key data, * * * enjoy the experience, * * * solve customer problems, and keep in touch with the organization. Through e-commerce within enterprises, it can bring the following benefits to enterprises: increasing the agility of business activities, responding to market conditions faster and providing better services to customers. E-commerce between enterprises (B-B mode) is mainly conducted through the Internet or private networks. Inter-enterprise e-commerce is the most worthy of attention and discussion among the three modes of e-commerce, because it has the most development potential. E-commerce between enterprises and consumers (B-C mode) mainly means that enterprises provide consumers with a new shopping environment-online stores, and consumers shop and pay online through the Internet. Because this model saves time and space for both customers and enterprises, greatly improves transaction efficiency and saves unnecessary expenses. E-commerce between enterprises and governments (B-G mode) covers all things between enterprises and government organizations, mainly including government procurement, online customs declaration, tax declaration and so on.
E-commerce within an enterprise mainly deals with and exchanges business information through the intranet. Intranet is an effective business tool. Through firewalls, enterprises isolate their intranets from the Internet. It can be used to automatically handle business operations and workflows, enhance access to important systems and key data, * * * enjoy the experience, * * * solve customer problems, and keep in touch with the organization. Through e-commerce within enterprises, it can bring the following benefits to enterprises: increasing the agility of business activities, responding to market conditions faster and providing better services to customers. E-commerce between enterprises (B-B mode) is mainly conducted through the Internet or private networks. Inter-enterprise e-commerce is the most worthy of attention and discussion among the three modes of e-commerce, because it has the most development potential. E-commerce between enterprises and consumers (B-C mode) mainly means that enterprises provide consumers with a new shopping environment-online stores, and consumers shop and pay online through the Internet. Because this model saves time and space for both customers and enterprises, greatly improves transaction efficiency and saves unnecessary expenses. E-commerce between enterprises and governments (B-G mode) covers all things between enterprises and government organizations, mainly including government procurement, online customs declaration, tax declaration and so on.