Ecommerce can be defined as transactions carried out between a buyer and seller online. The first ever online transaction took place decades ago, and ecommerce has significantly evolved since then.

According to studies, the US alone is home to 209.6 million online shoppers. This goes on to show just how widely accepted ecommerce has become.

There are various types of ecommerce and online transactions in today’s online world, some of which include:

a) Business-to-Administration (B2A)
b) Business-to-Business (B2B)
c) Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
d) Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
e) Consumer-to-Administration (C2A)
f) Consumer-to-Business (C2B)

Businesses-to-Administration (B2A)
This type of ecommerce refers to all online transactions between businesses and public administration. Companies under this category of ecommerce offer a variety of services, mostly in areas such as social security, registers, legal documents, fiscal, and employment.

With the investments made in e-government in recent years, this model of ecommerce has grown popular.

Business-to-Business (B2B)
B2B is the type of transaction that goes on strictly between businesses – one business selling to another. In ecommerce, every electronic transaction between companies falls under this category.

Recent studies have estimated that the global B2B ecommerce industry would add up to $6.6 trillion by the end of 2020.

Most of the businesses in this niche are service providers. However, it’s also possible to find document hosting companies, office furniture and supply companies, and software companies.

Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
As the title suggests, C2C refers to every form of electronic transaction between two or more consumers. These types of transactions are usually carried out through a third-party service. Consumers meet on a platform where they can buy or sell goods and services to each other online.

An excellent example of a consumer-to-consumer type of ecommerce platform is eBay.

Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
In this case, transactions take place between companies and consumers. In most cases, companies sell their goods and services to consumers through their websites.

This type of ecommerce is what first comes to mind when most people think of what an ecommerce business is all about. The sort of products that are usually sold in B2C sites includes electronics, clothing, shoes, books, food, and other consumers goods.

Consumer-to-Administration (C2A)
C2A is a type of ecommerce where online transactions take place between consumers and public administration. The most common transactions that fall under this category include paying tuition to a University, paying taxes and fines, etc.

Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
Consumer-to-business ecommerce is a growing model. This type of ecommerce refers to the online transaction between consumers and businesses. It might sound unusual to some, but in C2B, consumers sell goods and services to companies.

The C2B model allows consumers to provide value to businesses. Examples that fall under this category include UpWork, various blogs, and affiliate marketing platforms such as Google AdSense.

Conclusion
If you own a business, it is essential to know these options as it could help you in the process of building your site and choosing the right ecommerce platform.

Here is a link to an amazing infographic regarding the same. https://jobsinmarketing.io/blog/ecommerce-statistics/