Business-to-consumer electronic commerce (B2C): In B2C, the sellers are organizations, and the buyers are individuals.

Business-to-business electronic commerce (B2B): In B2B transactions, both the sellers and the buyers are business organizations. B2B comprises the vast majority of EC volume.

Consumer-to-consumer electronic commerce (C2C): In C2C (also called customer-to customer), an individual sells products or services to other individuals. The major strategies for conducting C2C on the Internet are auctions and classified ads.

The major categories of online classified ads are similar to those found in print ads: vehicles, real estate, employment, pets, tickets, and travel.

Classified ads are available through most Internet service providers (AOL, MSN, etc.), at some portals (Yahoo!, etc.), and from Internet directories and online newspapers. Many of these sites contain search engines that help shoppers narrow their searches.

Internet-based classified ads have one major advantage over traditional types of classified ads: They provide access to an international, rather than a local, audience. This wider audience greatly increases both the supply of goods and services and the number of potential buyers.

It is important to note that the value of expanded geographic reach depends greatly on what is being bought or sold. For example, you might buy software from a company located 1,000 miles from you, but you would not buy firewood from someone at such a distance.

Business-to-employee (B2E): In B2E, an organization uses EC internally to provide information and services to its employees. For example, companies allow employees to manage their benefits and to take training classes electronically. In addition, employees can buy discounted insurance, travel packages, and tickets to events on the corporate intranet. They also can order supplies and materials electronically. Finally, many companies have electronic corporate stores that sell the company’s products to its employees, usually at a discount.

E-government: E-government is the use of Internet technology in general and e-commerce in particular to deliver information and public services to citizens (called government-to-citizen or G2C EC) and to business partners and suppliers (called government-to-business or G2B EC). G2B EC is much like B2B EC, usually with an overlay of government procurement regulations. That is, G2B EC and B2B EC are similar conceptually. However, the functions of G2C EC are conceptually different from anything that exists in the private sector (e.g., B2C EC).

E-government is also an efficient way of conducting business transactions with citizens and businesses and within the governments themselves. E-government makes government more efficient and effective, especially in the delivery of public services. An example of G2C electronic commerce is electronic benefi ts transfer, in which governments transfer benefi ts, such as Social Security and pension payments, directly to recipients’ bank accounts.

Mobile commerce (m-commerce): The term m-commerce refers to e-commerce that is conducted entirely in a wireless environment. An example is using cell phones to shop over the Internet.

Each type of EC is executed in one or more business models. A business model is the method by which a company generates revenue to sustain itself.