1. E-Commerce: Mechanisms, Platforms, and Tools
Chapter 2
E-Commerce:
Mechanisms, Platforms, and Tools

2. Learning Objectives
Describe the major electronic commerce (EC) activities and processes and the mechanisms that support them.
Define e-marketplaces and list their components.
List the major types of e-marketplaces and describe their features.
Describe electronic catalogs, search engines, and shopping carts.
Describe the major types of auctions and list their characteristics.

3. Learning Objectives
Discuss the benefits and limitations of e-auctions.
Describe bartering and negotiating online.
Describe virtual communities.
Describe social networks as EC mechanisms.
Understand virtual worlds and their use in EC.
Describe the emerging technologies of augmented reality and crowdsourcing.
Describe Web 3.0 and define Web 4.0.

4. Electronic Commerce Mechanisms: An Overview
EC Activities and Support Mechanisms
The Online Purchasing Process

5. The EC Activities–Mechanism Connection

6. The Buying Process in E-Markets

7. E-Marketplaces *E-Marketplace Components of and the Participants in
Customers
Sellers
Products and services
* Digital Products
Infrastructure
*Front end
* Back end
* Intermediaries

8. E-Marketplaces *Disintermediation and Reintermediation
Types of E-Marketplaces
Private E-Marketplaces
Public E-Marketplaces

9. Customer Shopping Mechanisms: Webstores, Malls, And Portals
Microsites
Electronic Malls
Web (Information) Portals
Types of Portals
Commercial (public) portals
Corporate (private) portals
Publishing portals
*Mobile portals
*Voice portals
Knowledge portals
Communities' portals

10. How a Portal Works

11. Customer Shopping Mechanisms: Webstores, Malls, And Portals
The Roles and Value of Intermediaries in
E-Marketplaces
Brokers
Distributors in B2B

12. Merchant Solutions: Electronic Catalogs, Search Engines, and Shopping Carts
*Electronic catalogs (e-catalogs)
EC Search Activities, Types, and Engines
Types of EC Searches
Internet/Web Search
*Enterprise Search
*Desktop Search

13. Merchant Solutions: Electronic Catalogs, Search Engines, and Shopping Carts
Voice-Powered Search
Video and Mobile Search
Mobile Search
Visual Shopping Search Engine
Social Network Search Engines
*Shopping Carts
Product Configuration (Self Customization)
Questions and Answers Online

14. Auctions, Bartering, and Negotiating Online
Definition and Characteristics
*Dynamic Pricing
Traditional Auctions Versus E-Auctions
Limitations of Traditional Offline Auctions
*Electronic Auctions (e-auctions)

15. Auctions, Bartering, and Negotiating Online
Types of Auctions
One Buyer, One Seller
One Seller, Many Potential Buyers
*Forward Auction
One Buyer, Many Potential Sellers
Reverse Auctions (bidding or tendering system
The Name-Your-Own-Price Model
Many Sellers, Many Buyers
Penny Auctions
Benefits of E-Auctions
Limitations of E-Auctions
Minimal Security
Possibility of Fraud
Limited Participation

16. The Reverse Auction Process

17. Auctions, Bartering, and Negotiating Online
Impacts of Auctions
Auctions as a Mechanism to Determine a Price
Auctions and Social Networks
*Bartering
*E-bartering (electronic bartering)
*Bartering exchange
Online Negotiating

18. Virtual Communities and Social Networks
*Virtual Community
Characteristics of Traditional Online Communities and Their Classifications
Classifications of Virtual Communities
Public Versus Private Communities
Classification Categories
Online Social Networks and Social Network Sites
A Definition and Basic Information

19. Virtual Communities and Social Networks
Social Network Services
The Size of Social Network Sites
A Global Phenomenon
Representative Capabilities and Services Provided by Social Network Sites
Business-Oriented Public Social Networks
*Business-oriented social networks
Example of a Business-Oriented Social Network
Some Capabilities of Business-Oriented Networks
Private (or Enterprise) Social Networks

20. Virtual Communities and Social Networks
Business Models And Services Related To Social Networking
Mobile Social Commerce
*Mobile Social Networking
Mobile Enterprise Networks
Examples of Social Mobile Commerce Applications
Recent Innovative Tools And Platforms For Social Networking
Mobile Community Activities

21. Virtual Worlds As an Electronic Commerce Platform
Major Features
*Avatars
Business Activities and Value in Virtual Worlds
Virtual Shopping
Trading Virtual Properties

22. Emerging EC Platforms: Augmented Reality And Crowdsourcing
Applications in E-Commerce
*Crowdsourcing
Definitions and Major Concepts
The Process of Crowdsourcing
Benefits of Crowdsourcing
Uses of Crowdsourcing in E-Commerce

23. The Elements of Crowdsourcing

24. A Typical Crowdsourcing Process

25. The Future: Web 3.0, Web 4.0, and Web 5.0
Web 3.0: What Does the Future Hold?
*Web 3.0
Web 3.0 and the *Semantic Web
Concerns
Future Threats
Security concerns
Lack of Net neutrality
Copyright complaints
Insufficient connectivity
Language Fitness
Standards

26. The Future: Web 3.0, Web 4.0, and Web 5.0
The Technological Environment
McKinsey & Company’s Prediction
Nicholas Carr’s Predictions
*Web 4.0 
Web 5.0

27. Managerial Issues Should we use auctions for selling?
Should we barter?
How do we select merchant software?
How can we use Facebook and other social networks in our business?
Shall we take part in virtual worlds?

28. Summary Activities and mechanisms.
E-marketplaces and their components.
The major types of e-marketplaces.
Electronic catalogs, search engines, and shopping carts.
Types of auctions and their characteristics.
The benefits and limitations of auctions.

29. Summary Bartering and negotiating.
The structure and role of virtual communities.
Social networks as EC mechanisms.
Virtual worlds.
Augmented Reality (AR) and crowdsourcing.
Web 3.0 and Web 4.0.