Next-generation network services include services offered through emerging service-oriented network structures, such as e-commerce transactions and e-banking, security services, and communication services with user location and presence information. In addition, the evolution of the “Web 3.0” paradigm provides services such as online social networks and virtual collaborative environments. In addition, services like voice over IP, video on demand, online gaming, and high-speed Internet services have also been made available. Those services have varying quality of service requirements and are constantly evolving in size while being geographically distributed around the world.
A C2C e-commerce site is one where one consumer sells to another. The Internet has allowed widely dispersed buyers and sellers to easily interact in a way that has never been possible before. A good example of this interaction can be seen in the large company eBay. With eBay, a seller begins an auction by listing an item online. To do this, the seller must be registered with eBay and must pay a small listing fee. Sellers can also include (for an additional fee) other information such as product images, auction length, and reserve price.
Experienced sellers have the ability to earn reputation ratings. Buyers who have been successful in the past may provide positive, negative, or neutral ratings for the seller based on their experience. If the auction reaches a successful conclusion, the seller pays a commission and a listing fee to the company. If the auction is not concluded successfully, the seller is only responsible for a listing fee. Other seller costs include acquisition and shipping costs.
Other seller costs include acquisition and shipping costs. Compared to eBay, YouTube started out as a free site that allowed users to upload videos from their private collections. As the variety of videos grew, viewers from all over the world began to watch, comment and rate each other’s videos. Consumer technologies like web cameras, camera phones, digital camcorders, and digital cameras have simplified content creation to a level where most people could upload videos to YouTube with a simple mouse click. The data on YouTube is public and the owner is the only one who can change or delete this content. Once posted, online content on social networking sites is permanently available until deliberately removed by the owner, although occasionally content is removed by the site administrator for legal reasons.
An example of a B2C or business-to-consumer e-commerce site is Amazon. Founded in 1994 by entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, it has become one of the largest online merchants in Internet history. Starting with books, Amazon now boasts a product list that includes electronics, movies and TV shows, eBook readers (Kindle), clothing, and a wide variety of other products. Hulu is an on-demand television shows and videos site and is jointly owned by NBCUniversal, Fox Entertainment Group, ABC Inc. and Providence Equity Partners. The Company’s offerings are only available in the United States and its territories to prevent international users from accessing the Site. Hulu launched as a free site, but Hulu Plus, a monthly subscription service, was launched in January 2010, with the benefit that viewers now have access to full seasons of TV shows.
The business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) e-commerce model involves an intermediary between the producer of the product and the final consumer. In this situation, the customer chooses the features he wants in a product, which he orders from the website which he then orders from the retailer. The retailer also doubles as a service and return center. XYZ.TV will function in a similar way by acting as an intermediary between the consumer and the different video and television contributions they will offer.
It is almost impossible to stay out of e-commerce and online marketing. They have taken on a pivotal role in our society and by all appearances it looks like they will be around for a long time.
