Six modes of e-commerce

Analysis of E-commerce, the first thing to classify a variety of models, who let the classification of people to understand the basic view of the world? Botany is the beginning of classification.

The following models, I think are very successful, promising model, but across a variety of models, there is no sense of concentration.

Direct sales Model.

This model is the most stringent meaning of e-commerce. From upstream to the goods (or make their own), put on the site to sell, to earn the difference. This is the most Orthodox, core model of E-commerce, and the basic form of all other models. Yes, good mode!

Second, Yellow Pages mode.

This model is the user's interest in listing the business information for users to use. It is characterized by the information can be poor, update less. For example, in a city, the number of restaurants can be estimated, and according to the estimate of the site, catering industry annual update ratio of 10%, other industries will be lower. This mode of profit is mainly based on registration fees. This model is better when the cost of information is relatively high (for example, the early days of the Internet), but it is less potential when any business can release information cheaply. The recent Yellow Pages model has added to the comments (such as the public Comment network), or joined the local, community concept (such as Bird's Nest net, Huilongguan community), so that the oldest E-commerce model has been revitalized. Yes, good mode!

Third, discount coupon mode.

This pattern is very similar to the Yellow Pages model, but the coupon mode (COUPON) information is alive, updated frequently; Yellow page mode is dead, immutable. And the information of the coupon mode is more diverse and more time, which leads to the information can not be poor. Discount coupon mode does not necessarily appear discount coupons, such as new store opening, promotions, new products and so on the release of information, to the traditional yellow Pages mode to inject a fresh element. Yes, good mode!

Iv. Commission model.

This pattern is not sold directly, but by pooling users, providing orders to other E-commerce-mode sites, and obtaining commissions based on some prior or ex-agreed rules. Commission may be by single, by percentage, by number of users, and so on. And the accumulation of users, there are many models. For example Shopping.com, askyaya.com comparison shopping mode, qunar.com Direct query mode, watercress content Community mode and so on. The final sale is on the other site, just give the person the past, then clap your hands, do nothing, but collect money. Revenue and cost lines are not directly correlated and have obvious marginal effects. Yes, good mode!

V. predetermined mode.

This pattern is very similar to the Commission pattern, and the pattern is abruptly inserted into a service layer between the user and the merchant in the Commission mode. By providing excellent booking services, users are paid to the site and then to the downstream. For example, Ctrip, is a typical add a service layer to. This layer, the cost than the Commission model without this layer is much higher (Ctrip's thousands of people call center is), but the more substantial increase in income, because of the capture of users, rapid increase in bargaining power, up to coerce suppliers to increase commission, downward increase in retail prices (Ctrip is now the price is far from the lowest, but by buying their own services), Like Wal-Mart in the traditional retail industry. Ctrip mode is more suitable for China because of the added service. But when this layer is growing, it's time to go up and down to find replacements. This pattern is between Orthodox Consumer-to-consumer and the Business-to-consumer model. Yes, good mode!

VI. market model.

This mode, in fact, is platform mode, or Consumer-to-consumer mode. The vegetable market is not a department store, not a supermarket, it just provides a place for all businesses to stall in this place. There are 5-6 of them selling cucumbers in a vegetable market, competing with each other, and it's normal to live together, and in other modes, this phenomenon is strange. Because the market is completely not involved in the sales process, only the provision of clean, safe and other basic services. Fees are mainly based on venue costs. This pattern is good for scalability, but it is also a model that requires patience. Yes, good mode!

Any more? Everyone added ...

The most basic method of electronic commerce is business-to-business and Business-to-consumer. Different people, different angles, the division of methods are not the same. I suggest we each discuss our own definition before discussing it.

There is a way to define that, from the perspective of company operations, I make the business model that does not involve the provision of warehousing, logistics and services as Consumer-to-consumer, while others are business-to-consumer. The reason for this is that the cost of warehousing, logistics, services and its turnover is nearly linear, cost lines (NRC line) and revenue lines (top line) abreast. And does not involve warehousing, logistics, service, cost line and income line on the relevance is not so big (large and not mostly relative), that is, the model of marginal effect. There is a picture in this article, which is probably the meaning. I value this division because it is important for operators to differentiate between the two models, which have a clear way of working, different cost controls, and different customer services.

From the user's perspective, it is also possible to take responsibility for the quality of the final service as a measure of the distinction between the consumer and the Consumer-to-consumer. Because if the site operator guarantees quality and service consistency, most users will consider it a consumer shopping site. If it is only a platform, the user clearly know that the above vendors to ensure quality, they will think that this is consumer-to-consumer.

There are people on the platform if it is personal selling things called Consumer-to-consumer, business selling things called the consumer, also can not be wrong, but for the operator, so the distinction is not too much meaning. For example, according to my first statement, as long as you do not participate in logistics, warehousing and services, the business people are individuals or businesses, for the operation itself, there is no significant difference (for example, the cost and income of the relationship between the business and the individual is the same). Of course, it doesn't mean the same for users. The angle of the cut is different, some mode is the Consumer-to-consumer, or the same is not seen.

It is meaningless to be apart. Distinctions are needed only when different situations require different approaches.

Note: How many modes of purely academic discussion are as meaningless as the care of several ways of writing back words. The important thing is not to differentiate, or to argue about the pattern, but to think about the different operating characteristics of each model, the profit model, the operational concerns, and so on. The operation of each mode is really a huge difference. It is more dangerous to use one pattern to do another. Who makes the difference between these models so small? To do, the common mistake is to look at a pattern of good, forget his weakness.

(Original starting on April 2, 2007)