Business Models Facilitating E-commerce
All over the world, e-commerce – the buying and selling of goods and services using the Internet has continued to increasingly grow and is slowly outpacing the traditional retail market. In the last ten years, online sales have plummeted and are now accounting a higher ration of all retail sales[1]. By the end of 2016, e-commerce sales were more than 8 percent of total retail sales[2]. E-commerce market growth is largely being driven by technology growth[3]. More access to the Internet has also driven e-commerce growth. With the coming of mobile computing devices such as the smart phones and tablets more and m0re people are making online purchases. Research has indicated that over 20 percent shoppers are using mobile devices to shop. Furthermore, digital payment services including PayPal, Apple Pay, Amazon pay and more have made it possible and easy to make online purchases as they can be accessed all over the world being used to send and receive instant money[4]. As such, shoppers can now shop on the go without waiting to access laptops and desktop computers. Shopping online saves a lot of time for the customer as they can shop from the comfort of their home. Countries that are on top of the list in driving e-commerce and have contributed the largest percentage of e-commerce sales in 2017 include China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India[5].
As a result of e-commerce growth, a lot of models to facilitate the mechanism have come up. The main models used to facilitate e-commerce include the following:
Commonly known as B2B, it is a model that allows a business to sell its products and services to another business via the Internet[6]. It allows a business to make purchases without the need to access another’s business’ physical premise saving time and money especially if there are discounts for online purchases.
Business to Consumer (B2C) is the most common e-commerce model. It is a model where a business sell its products and services directly to the consumer who will use the product[7].
Sometimes referred to as peer to peer, it represent a model where consumers sell and buy from each other directly via the Internet without relying on third party providers[8].
The selected models include Business to Business (B2B). Selected sites include H and R Block Tax Accountants and LTN Accounting and Financial Services.
H and R Block Tax Accountants:
The company main objective is to help prepare tax returns. Information from their website states that they are a leading tax preparation firm preparing about 800,000 tax returns for clients. Other services include book keeping, financial planning, grants growth and other business services.
- URL – https://www.hrblock.com.au/tax-returns
- Website Home Page (snapshot)
Assessment of B2B E-commerce websites: H and R Block Tax Accountants vs. LTN Accounting and Financial Services
LTN Accounting and Financial Services
LTN Accounting and Financial Services offers services including accounting and taxation, medical accounting, company registration and business financial services to its clientele.
- URL – https://www.ltn.com.au/
- Website Home Page(snapshot)
Both H and R Block Tax Accountants and LTN Accounting and Financial Services are considered B2B models because they provide products and services to other businesses through the Internet. Additionally, both are Business to Consumer businesses since they also serve individual clients according to information published on the two websites.
H and R Block Tax Accountants Business Goals
H and R Tax Accountants specialize in simplifying tax for businesses and individuals in Australia. The company boasts of more than 40 years providing tax returns with expert results. They have a team of tax professionals who work together to ensure the right tax deductions, accuracy and security. Therefore their main goal is to help businesses fill and return accurate tax figures and deductions. They also aim to provide expert book keeping services, advisory and financial planning for businesses. They provide growth grants and provide expert information on US taxes and self-funding services
LTN Accounting and Financial Services
LTN Accounting and Financial Services main goal is to provide professional tax preparation, business solutions, book keeping, business management, medical accounting, company registration and more. They assist business deal with complicated accounting problems and taxing challenges in an affordable manner throughout Australia.
|
High Numbers |
1(Very Poor) |
2 (Poor) |
3 (Inapplicable) |
4 (Good) |
5(Very Good) |
|
Does the website URL relate to the business name? |
H and R name express the fact that the company offers accounting services for clients |
||||
|
How easy is it to find the site website using general search engines including Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. |
Site is easy to find on search engines |
||||
|
Does the website provide all the organizational information that a user would require? |
All information the user needs is published on website. |
||||
|
Are the requirements to provide a user’s personal or sensitive information appropriate? |
Not clear |
||||
|
How well does the website reassure users about the security and use of their information? |
Not Clear |
||||
|
How well does the website foster user trust in the organization? |
Online assistance |
||||
|
How well does the website address legal issues associated with the use of the site or engagement in transactions? |
Website has a privacy policy |
||||
|
How well does the website provide for the accessibility needs of users? |
Almost all user needs have been incorporated including FAQS and phone number for further queries |
||||
|
How well does the website address the language or cultural needs of users? |
Language is understandable |
||||
|
Does the website contain all the product information that users could reasonably require? |
Most of the information |
||||
|
Does the website allow all the customization that a user could reasonably expect? |
Not clear |
||||
|
How well does the website personalize the experience of users? |
A customer can get his own solution dealt with through call, online forum |
||||
|
Does the website identity sufficient channels for user service and support? |
yes |
||||
|
How easy is it to find any information on the website about the organization, their products or services? |
Very easy to navigate |
||||
|
How easy is the information on the website to read? Is the information in appropriate language and does it have sufficient details for most users? |
Very easy to read |
||||
|
Is the website easy to navigate when trying to find information on products or services and perform transactions for users? |
Yes |
||||
|
How appropriate are the website aesthetics such as colours, layout, imagery and fonts for the targeted audience? |
Good website design, with clear colors and layout |
||||
|
How well does the website foster community amongst users? |
No clear |
||||
|
How quickly does the website load into your browser and do all website features, link and embedded objects such as files or applets work as intended? |
Fast user response |
||||
|
How well does the website support different web browsers or platforms including mobile phone access? |
Support major browsers |
||||
|
Does the website provide sufficient range of payment options as could be reasonably expected? |
No |
||||
|
Does the website provide a sufficient range of delivery options as could be reasonably expected? |
To some extent |
|
Website: BDO Australia
|
1(Very Poor) |
2 (Poor) |
3 (Inapplicable) |
4 (Good) |
5(Very Good) |
|
Does the website URL relate to the business name? |
Yes |
||||
|
How easy is it to find the site website using general search engines including Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. |
Website is easy to find on search engines |
||||
|
Does the website provide all the organizational information that a user would require? |
Yes |
||||
|
Are the requirements to provide a user’s personal or sensitive information appropriate? |
users can create secure accounts protected with password |
||||
|
How well does the website reassure users about the security and use of their information? |
use of password privacy policy |
||||
|
How well does the website foster user trust in the organization? |
Client testimonial posted on website |
||||
|
How well does the website address legal issues associated with the use of the site or engagement in transactions? |
includes privacy policy, copyright |
||||
|
How well does the website provide for the accessibility needs of users? |
Users can access required services |
||||
|
How well does the website address the language or cultural needs of users? |
Clear English |
||||
|
Does the website contain all the product information that users could reasonably require? |
Yes |
||||
|
Does the website allow all the customization that a user could reasonably expect? |
Yes |
||||
|
How well does the website personalize the experience of users? |
Creation of user accounts |
||||
|
Does the website identity sufficient channels for user service and support? |
Yes, phone number |
||||
|
How easy is it to find any information on the website about the organization, their products or services? |
Very easy |
||||
|
How easy is the information on the website to read? Is the information in appropriate language and does it have sufficient details for most users? |
Very easy |
||||
|
Is the website easy to navigate when trying to find information on products or services and perform transactions for users? |
Yes, has clear pages and links |
||||
|
How appropriate are the website aesthetics such as colors, layout, imagery and fonts for the targeted audience? |
Good web design |
||||
|
How well does the website foster community amongst users? |
unclear |
||||
|
How quickly does the website load into your browser and do all website features, link and embedded objects such as files or applets work as intended? |
Quick response |
||||
|
How well does the website support different web browsers or platforms including mobile phone access? |
All browsers are supported |
||||
|
Does the website provide sufficient range of payment options as could be reasonably expected? |
Yes |
||||
|
Does the website provide a sufficient range of delivery options as could be reasonably expected? |
Yes |
For a website to be successful, it has to have a user friendly design, have the right controls for functions including feedback and user support. For example, if users are supposed to submit some information, a good site should allow then to do that using a ‘submit button’ control. Additionally, a good website should have an easy to use interface. From the home page, a good site should direct and include links to other important pages. Also, it should have a contact page that users should use to make further contact with users. Both of these sites (LTN accounting and financial services and H and R block tax block accountants) have high chances of doing well as they have user friendly interfaces and designs. When a user visits the platform, they get all the information they require and can call for any additional information they want. LTN Accounting and Financial Services specializes in support small and medium businesses and hence can do very well if they get such clients. H and R Block Tax Accountants can also be very successful as they have stated they are professional accountants. In my opinion, the two models are the same and their differentiating success factor could be their marketing as well as customer satisfaction.
Business Insider Intelligence. “E-commerce growth has hit a two-year high”, August 17, 2016, https://www.businessinsider.com/e-commerce-growth-has-hit-a-two-year-high-2016-8?IR=T
Camhi, Jonathan. “Southeast Asia’s set for explosive e-commerce growth”, May 16 2017, https://www.businessinsider.com/southeast-asias-set-for-explosive-e-commerce-growth-2017-5?IR=T
Cudjoe Dan, Consumer-To-Consumer (C2C) Electronic Commerce: The Recent Picture, International Journal of Networks and Communications, Vol. 4 No. 2, 2014, pp. 29-32. doi: 10.5923/j.ijnc.20140402.01.
Joseph, Chris. “Types of eCommerce Business Models” accessed May 09, 2018. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-ecommerce-business-models-2447.html
Linton, Ian. “Differences Between B2C & B2B in Business Systems”, March 26 2018, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-b2c-b2b-business-systems-39922.html
LTN Accounting and financial services Australia. May 2018. https://www.ltn.com.au/
H and R block tax accountants Australia. May 2018. https://www.hrblock.com.au/
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