There are many benefits of bringing your business to the Web. An e-business can offer personalized service, high quality customer service, and improved supply chain management. In this section we explore the different types businesses operating on the Web, as well as the technologies required to build and run an e-commerce Web site.
Google, Amazon.com, eBay, Yahoo! and others have helped to define industry categories and business models on the Web. Entrepreneurs starting e-business need to be aware of these business models and how to implement them effectively. In this chapter, we review the storefront model, the auction model, dynamic pricing models, the portal model and other Web business models. An e-business is defined as a company that has an online presence.E-businesses that have the ability to sell, trade, barter and transact over the Web can be considered e-commerce businesses. The combination of a company's policy, operations, technology and ideology define its business model. Businesses within a particular model can leverage the fundamental technologies to differentiate themselves from the competition.