E-commerce 1011

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When it comes to e-commerce, a word that first comes to mind is growth.E-commerce expert Gary Hoover’s research shows that just in the last 14 years, the growth of e-commerce companies has skyrocketed across the board22 across the board全面地。.Growth projections estimate that by 2022, e-commerce revenues will exceed $638 billion in the U.S.alone.

提到電子商務，首先浮現腦海的詞就是增長。電子商務專家加里·胡佛的研究表明，過去短短14年，電商公司全線增長，一飛沖天。增長預測表明，到2022年，僅美國的電商收入就將超過6380億美元。

What is E-commerce?

Essentially, e-commerce(or electronic commerce)is the buying and selling of goods(or services)on the internet.

From mobile shopping to online payment encryption3encryption加密。and beyond, e-commerce encompasses a wide variety of data, systems, and tools for both online buyers and sellers.

Most businesses with an e-commerce presence use an e-commerce store and/or an e-commerce platform to conduct both online marketing and sales activities and to oversee logistics and fulfillment.

什么是電子商務？

本質上，電子商務就是在網絡上買賣商品（或服務）。

從手機購物到在線支付加密等，電子商務包含各種各樣在線買家和賣家的數據、系統和工具。

多數參與電子商務的企業會使用網店或電子商務平臺來組織在線市場營銷活動和監管物流及訂單完成情況。

Types of E-commerce

Generally, there are six main models of e-commerce that businesses can be categorized into.

1.Business-to-Consumer(B2C)

B2C e-commerce ecompasses transactions made between a business and a consumer.

This is one of the most widely used sales models in the e-commerce context.When you buy shoes from an online shoe retailer, it is a business-to-consumer transaction.

2.Business-to-Business(B2B)

B2B e-commerce relates to sales made between businesses, such as a manufacturer and a wholesaler or retailer.

This type of e-commerce is not consumer-facing and happens only between business entities.

Most often, business-to-business sales focus on raw materials or products that are repackaged or combined before being sold to customers.

3.Consumer-to-Consumer(C2C)

One of the earliest forms of e-commerce is the C2C e-commerce business model.

Customer-to-customer relates to the sale of products or services between customers.This would include customer to customer selling relationships like those seen on eBay or Amazon, for example.

4.Consumer-to-Business(C2B)

C2B reverses the traditional e-commerce model(and is what we common-ly see in crowdfunding projects).

C2B means individual consumers make their products or services available for business buyers.

An example of this would be a business model like iStockPhoto, in which stock photos are available online for purchase directly from different photographers.

5.Business-to-Administration(B2A)

This model covers the transactions made between online businesses and administrations.An example would be the products and services related to legal documents, social security, etc.

6.Consumer-to-Administration(C2A)

Same idea here, but with consumers selling online products or services to an administration.

C2A might include things like online consulting for education, online tax preparation, etc.

Both B2A and C2A are focused around increased efficiency within the government via the support of information technology.

電子商務的種類

大體上，電商模式主要有6種。

1.商對客模式（B2C）

B2C模式是指企業與消費者之間進行交易。

這是使用最為廣泛的電商銷售模式。消費者從網上鞋店購鞋，就是商對客交易。

2.商對商模式（B2B）

B2B模式是指企業間的交易，如制造商與批發商或零售商之間的交易。

這種模式的電子商務不面對消費者，只在企業之間進行。

很多時候，商對商模式主要應用于原材料買賣，或那些在出售給消費者之前需要重新包裝或組裝的產品。

3.客對客模式（C2C）

C2C模式是最早的電子商務形式之一。

客對客模式就是消費者之間銷售產品和服務。這種模式涵蓋了消費者之間的銷售關系，就像易趣或亞馬遜里的一樣。

4.客對商模式（C2B）

C2B模式與傳統電子商務模式相反（常見于眾籌項目）。

C2B指個人用戶為企業買家提供產品或服務。

iStockPhoto是這種模式的一個例子。在該網站的素材庫里，需求者可以從萬千攝影者那里直接購買圖片。

5.商對政模式（B2A）

這種模式涉及在線企業與行政機構之間的交易。例如與法律文件、社會保障等有關的產品和服務。

6.客對政模式（C2A）

道理同上，只是此模式是消費者向行政機構銷售在線產品和服務。

C2A可能包含在線教育咨詢、在線報稅等事項。

B2A與C2A都注重在信息技術的支持下提高政府內部的辦事效率。

History of E-commerce

The history of e-commerce dates back further than you might think.It was initially introduced about 40 years ago in its earliest form.

Since then, electronic commerce has helped countless businesses grow with the help of new technologies, improvements in internet connectivity, and wide-spread consumer and business adoption.

1969—CompuServe is founded.

Founded by electrical engineer students Dr.John R.Goltz and Jeffrey Wilkins in 1969, early CompuServe technology was built utilizing a dial-up connection.

In the 1980s, CompuServe introduced some of the earliest forms of email and internet connectivity to the public and went on to dominate the e-commerce landscape through the mid-1990s.

1979—Michael Aldrich invents electronic shopping.

English inventor Michael Aldrich introduced electronic shopping in 1979,which operated by connecting a modified TV to a transaction-processing computer via telephone line.

This made it possible for closed information systems to be opened and shared by outside parties for secure data transmission—and the technology became the foundation upon which modern e-commerce was built.

1982—Boston Computer Exchange launches.

When Boston Computer Exchange launched in 1982, it was the world’s first e-commerce company.Its primary function was to serve as an online market for people interested in selling their used computers.

1992—Book Stacks Unlimited launches as first online book marketplace.

Charles M.Stack introduced BookStacks Unlimited as an online bookstore in 1992—three full years before Jeff Bezos introduced Amazon.

1994—Netscape Navigator launches as a web browser.

Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark cocreated Netscape Navigator as a web browsing tool, and formally announced its introduction in October of 1994.

During the 1990s, Netscape Navigator became the primarily used web browser on the Windows platform before the rise of modern giants like Google.

1995—Amazon and eBay launch.

Jeff Bezos introduced Amazon in 1995 primarily as an e-commerce platform for books.

That same year, Pierre Omidyar introduced AuctionWeb, which would later become what we know today as eBay.

Since then, both have become massive e-commerce selling platforms that enable consumers to sell online to audiences around the globe.

1998—PayPal launches as e-commerce payment system.

Originally introduced as Confinity by founders Max Levhin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek and Ken Howery, PayPal made its appearance on the e-commerce stage in late 1998 as a money transfer tool.

1999—Alibaba launches.

Alibaba Online launched in 1999 as an online marketplace with more than$25 million in funding.

By 2001 the company was profitable.It went on to turn into a major B2B, C2C, and B2C platform that’s still widely used today.

2000—Google introduces Google AdWords as an online advertising tool.

Google AdWords was introduced in 2000 as a way for e-commerce businesses to advertise to people using the Google search tool.

With the help of short text ad copy and display URLs, online retailers began using the tool in a pay-per-click(PPC)context.

2005—Amazon introduces Amazon Prime membership.

Amazon introduced Amazon Prime in 2005 as a way for customers to get free two-day shipping for a flat4flat（價錢）無漲落的。annual fee.

The membership also came to include other perks5perk額外福利。like discounted oneday shipping and later access to streaming6streaming流媒體，指將一連串的媒體資料壓縮后，經過網路分段傳送資料，在網路上即時傳輸影音以供觀賞的一種技術與過程。services like Amazon Video and members-only events like“Prime Day.”

2005—Etsy is launched.

Etsy launches in 2005, allowing crafters and smaller sellers to sell goods through an online marketplace.This brought the makers community online—expanding their reach to a 24/7 buying audience.

2009—Square launches.

Square7Square用戶（消費者或商家）利用Square提供的移動讀卡器，配合智能手機使用，可以在任何3G或WiFi網絡狀態下，通過應用程序匹配刷卡消費，它使得消費者、商家可以在任何地方進行付款和收款。was founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey.The first Square app and service launched in 2010.

Square allowed offline retailers to accept debit and credit cards in their brick-and-mortars8brick-and-mortar磚墻加灰泥式的，實體的。and absolutely anywhere for the first time ever.

The idea occurred to Dorsey when in 2009 when McKelvey(a St.Louis friend of Dorsey at the time)was unable to complete a $2,000 sale of his glass faucets and fittings because he could not accept credit cards.

2009—BigCommerce launches.

Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper co-founded BigCommerce in 2009 and introduced it that year as a 100% bootstrapped9bootstrap自增長，（指初創企業）早期不融資、靠自己能力成長。e-commerce storefront platform.

Since then, more than $8 billion in sales have been processed through the platform and the company now has headquarters in Austin, San Francisco,and Sydney.

Other e-commerce technology platform providers launched in the same era.Shopify(2006)and Magento(2008)are also recognized as market leaders alongside BigCommerce.

Internet Retailer’s 2018 Guide to the Top E-commerce Platformssaw all 3 of these platforms on the list—with BigCommerce annual store growth and revenue numbers topping out at #1.

2011—Google Wallet introduced as digital payment method.

Google Wallet was introduced in 2011 as a peer-to-peer payment service that enabled individuals to send and receive money from a mobile device or desktop computer.

By linking the digital wallet to a debit card or bank account, users can pay for products or services via these devices.

Today, Google Wallet has joined with Android Pay for what is now known as Google Pay.

2011—Facebook rolls out sponsored stories as a form of early advertising.

In 2011, Facebook began rolling out early advertising opportunities to Business Page owners via sponsored stories.

With these paid campaigns, e-commerce businesses could reach specific audiences using the social network and get in the news feeds of different target audiences.

2011—Stripe launches.

Stripe is a payment processing company built originally for developers.It was founded by John and Patrick Collison.

2014—Apple Pay introduced as mobile payment method.

As online shoppers began using their mobile devices more frequently, Apple introduced Apple Pay as a mobile payment and digital wallet tool that allowed users to pay for products or services with an Apple device.

2014—Jet.com launches.

Jet.com was founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Marc Lore along with Mike Hanrahan and Nate Faust.

The company competes with Costco10美國第一大連鎖會員制倉儲式量販店。and Sam’s Club11美國零售商沃爾瑪公司旗下的倉儲式商店，以沃爾瑪創始人山姆·沃爾頓命名。, catering to folks looking for the lowest possible pricing for longer shipping times and bulk ordering.

2017—Shoppable Instagram is introduced.

Instagram Shopping launched in 2017 first with e-commerce partner Big-Commerce.

Since then, the service has expanded to additional e-commerce platforms and allows Instagram users to immediately click an item, and go to that product’s product page for purchase.

2017—Cyber Monday12網購節日，黑色星期五過后的周一。sales exceed$6.5B.

In 2017, e-commerce growth breaks a new record with online sales breaking$6.5 billion on Cyber Monday—a 17%increase from the year before.

Mobile sales also break records with an excess of $2 billion in sales made via mobile devices.■

電子商務的歷史

電子商務的歷史比你能想到的要久遠。最早的電商大約出現在40年前。

自那以后，電子商務幫助數不盡的企業發展起來。這都歸功于新技術、網絡連接改善，以及消費者和企業對電子商務的廣泛接受。

1969——“美聯網”成立

電氣工程學博士生約翰·戈爾茨博士和杰弗里·威爾金斯在1969年創立美聯網。早期美聯網技術使用撥號連接。

1980年代，美聯網向公眾推出電子郵件和網絡互聯的一些最早形式。接著便在整個1990年代中期主導了電子商務領域。

1979——邁克爾·奧爾德里奇開創電子購物

1979年，英國發明家邁克爾·奧爾德里奇把經過改造的電視機與交易處理電腦用電話線連接起來，開創了電子購物。

這使封閉的信息系統得以公開并讓外部參與者共享信息以進行安全數據傳輸。這一技術也是現代電子商務建立的基礎。

1982——“波士頓電腦交易網”成立

波士頓電腦交易網于1982年成立，是世界上第一家電子商務公司。其主要功能是為有意售賣二手電腦的人提供線上市場。

1992——第一個在線圖書市場“書棧”面世

查爾斯·M.斯塔克于1992年推出網上書店“書棧”，比杰夫·貝索斯推出亞馬遜早了整整三年。

1994——“網景導航者”瀏覽器面世

馬克·安德森和吉姆·克拉克聯合創辦了網頁瀏覽器“網景導航者”，并在1994年10月正式推出。

1990年代，在像谷歌這樣的現代巨頭興起之前，“網景導航者”是Windows系統主要使用的網頁瀏覽器。

1995——“亞馬遜”和“易貝”創立

杰夫·貝索斯1995年推出以圖書為主的電子商務平臺“亞馬遜”。

同年，皮埃爾·奧米戴爾推出“拍賣網”，后來變成了我們今天所知的“易貝”。

此后，亞馬遜和易貝都發展成為大規模電子商務銷售平臺，讓消費者能夠面向世界在線銷售。

1998——電子商務支付系統“貝寶”面世

創始人麥克斯·拉夫琴、皮特·泰爾、盧克·諾塞克及肯恩·霍威利最初創辦的公司叫“康菲尼迪”。1998年底，貝寶作為轉賬工具出現在電商舞臺上。

1999——“阿里巴巴”面世

1999年，“阿里巴巴在線”作為網上商城面世，注資超過2500萬美元。

到2001年，公司開始盈利。阿里繼續發展為以B2B、C2C、和B2C為主的平臺，至今仍廣泛使用。

2000——谷歌推出在線廣告工具“谷歌關鍵詞廣告”

2000年推出時，電商利用“谷歌關鍵詞廣告”向使用谷歌搜索工具的用戶打廣告。

有了短文廣告和鏈接顯示，在線零售商通過“點擊付費”開始使用該工具。

2005——亞馬遜推出“亞馬遜Prime會員”

亞馬遜2005年推出亞馬遜Prime會員，顧客繳納固定年費即可免費享受兩日達速遞服務。

會員還可享受其他特權，諸如一日速遞折扣優惠，后來會員還有權使用“亞馬遜視頻”等流媒體服務，參加會員獨享的“Prime會員日”活動。

2005——“易集網”面世

2005年“易集網”面世，讓手工藝者和小賣家通過在線商城出售商品，由此形成了手工藝者的網上社區——可以全天候接待買家。

2009——Square面世

2009年杰克·多西和吉姆·麥凱爾維創立Square。

2010年，第一款Square應用和服務推出。

Square第一次讓線下零售商在其實體店或任何地方接受顧客借記卡和信用卡付款。

這個點子是多西2009年想到的。當時麥凱爾維（多西在圣路易斯的朋友）購買玻璃水龍頭及配件，卻因為店家不接受信用卡而無法完成這筆2000美元的交易。

2009——BigCommerce問世

2009年，埃迪·馬沙拉尼和米切爾·哈珀攜手創立BigCommerce，并于同年以100%自增長電子商務平臺推出。

此后，平臺交易額超過80億美元。公司目前在奧斯汀、舊金山和悉尼設有總部。

其他電子商務技術平臺供應商在同時期啟動。Shopify（2006）與Magento（2008）也被認為是能與BigCommerce比肩，同為市場領袖。

這三個平臺都被列入《互聯網零售商2018頂尖電子商務平臺指南》。其中BigCommerce的店面年增長和營業額均排首位。

2011——電子支付方式“谷歌錢包”問世

“谷歌錢包”于2011年推出，提供點對點支付服務。個人能夠用移動設備或臺式機收付款。

把電子錢包與借記卡或銀行賬戶關聯起來，用戶就可以通過這些設備為產品或服務付費。

今天，“谷歌錢包”合并了“安卓錢包”，成為我們所知的“谷歌支付”。

2011——“臉書”推出早期廣告——贊助內容

2011年，“臉書”通過贊助內容開始向商業版內容用戶推出早期廣告機會。

這些付費廣告讓電商們可以觸及使用該社交網絡的特定群體，并且把消息推送給不同的目標人群。

2011——“國際極簡支付”面世

國際極簡支付最初是為開發人員建立的支付處理公司，由約翰·科里森和帕特里克·科里森創立。

2014——移動支付方式“蘋果支付”面世。

隨著網絡購物者越來越頻繁地使用移動設備，蘋果推出移動支付和電子錢包工具——“蘋果支付”，用戶使用蘋果設備就能為產品和服務付費。

2014——Jet.com面世

2014年企業家馬克·洛爾與邁克·漢拉恩、納特·浮士德一道成立了Jet.com。

該公司與好市多和山姆會員店展開競爭，針對的顧客是那些希望以較長運輸時間和批量訂單來尋求最低價格的人。

2017——可購物“照片墻”面世

2017年，“照片墻”首先與電商伙伴BigCommerce推出照片墻購物。

此后，服務擴展到附加的電商平臺，用戶點擊商品即可進入購買頁面。

2017——“網絡星期一”銷售額超65億美元

2017年，電子商務增長以“網絡星期一”65億美元的在線銷售額創下新紀錄，與前一年相比增長17%。

移動銷售也以超過20億美元的成績打破紀錄。□

（譯者曾獲第五屆“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽優秀獎）