Page 13 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

xiv Contents

1.8 Overview of This Book ........................................... 26
Part I: Introduction to E-Commerce and E-Marketplaces ................. 26
Part II: EC Applications ........................................... 27
Part III: Emerging EC Delivery Platforms ............................. 27
Part IV: EC Support Services ....................................... 27
Part V: EC Strategy and Implementation .............................. 27
Online Mini Tutorials ............................................. 27
Online Supplements .............................................. 27
Managerial Issues .................................................... 27
Summary ........................................................... 28
Closing Case: E-Commerce at the National Football League (NFL) ............. 30
References .......................................................... 32

2 E-Commerce: Mechanisms, Platforms, and Tools ......................... 35
Opening Case: Pinterest—A New Kid on the E-Commerce Block .............. 35
2.1 Electronic Commerce Mechanisms: An Overview ...................... 37
EC Activities and Support Mechanisms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
The Online Purchasing Process ..................................... 38
2.2 E-Marketplaces ................................................. 39
Electronic Markets ............................................... 39
The Components and Participants in E-Marketplaces .................... 39
Disintermediation and Reintermediation .............................. 40
Case 2.1: EC Application: How Blue Nile Inc. Is Changing the Jewelry Industry. . . 40
Types of E-Marketplaces .......................................... 41
2.3 Customer Shopping Mechanisms: Webstores, Malls, and Portals ........... 41
Webstores ...................................................... 41
Electronic Malls ................................................. 42
Web (Information) Portals ......................................... 42
The Roles and Value of Intermediaries in E-Marketplaces ................ 43
2.4 Merchant Solutions: Electronic Catalogs, Search Engines,
and Shopping Carts .............................................. 44
Electronic Catalogs .............................................. 44
EC Search Activities, Types, and Engines ............................. 44
Shopping Carts .................................................. 45
2.5 Auctions, Bartering, and Negotiating Online ........................... 46
Definition and Characteristics ...................................... 46
Dynamic Pricing ................................................ 46
Traditional Auctions Versus E-Auctions .............................. 46
Types of Auctions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Benefits of E-Auctions ............................................ 48
Limitations of E-Auctions ......................................... 48
Online Bartering ................................................. 49
Online Negotiating ............................................... 50
2.6 Virtual Communities and Social Networks ............................ 50
Characteristics of Traditional Online Communities and Their Classification .. 50
Social Network Service Sites ....................................... 51
Business-Oriented Public Social Networks ............................ 52
Case 2.2: EC Application: Craigslist: The Ultimate Online
Classified Community ................................................. 52
Private (or Enterprise) Social Networks .............................. 53
Business Models and Services Related to Social Networking .............. 53
Mobile Social Commerce ......................................... 53
Mobile Social Networking ......................................... 53