Study on business models for electronic commerce

The purpose of this study is to investigate the business model of electronic commerce (e-commerce), and proposed a framework of e-commerce business models based on the findings of literature review and in-depth interviews with experienced specialists. The proposed framework includes three roles (supplier-oriented, consumer-oriented, and supporter-oriented) and eight models (content provider, E-tailer, manufacturing, community, user creating, affiliate, brokerage, and trust intermediary). 70 commercial websites were selected from Alexa Top 100 Sites Taiwan to study which business models were applied for creating their own values. The results indicate that e-commerce business models tend to more interactive and participable. Contribution of this study lies in proposing a framework of e-commerce business models with new perspectives, and enhancing the understanding of e-commerce business models.