More properly known as a business to consumer transaction, the B2C transaction is a model of buying and selling that takes place over the Internet. The scope of these types of transactions is very broad, ranging from retail purchases online to enhanced services such as online banking. Here is some information about the B2C type of transactions, and why they are so popular today.
The nature of the B2C transaction revolves around the need to provide easy access to online accounts. With online retailing, a client will create a customer account with an online store or service, then be free to browse through the product and service offerings, selecting desirable items. When the customer is finished shopping, he or she is directed to an electronic checkout counter, where the purchases are totaled and the client selects the method of payment. Early on in the history of online shopping, the level of security protection extended to a client was somewhat low.
As electronic identity theft became more common, online retailers have strengthened the security measures associated with customer accounts, so that proprietary information cannot be harvested by other sources. Sites that carry this level of security are easily identifiable, providing shoppers with a not only a pleasant shopping experience, but the assurance that their personal information is safe and sound.
Online banking is another example of the business to consumer transaction. Today, most banking institutions offer full access to checking, savings, credit card, and money market accounts via the Internet. Like their retail counterparts, the security level today is very high. Generally, a client will have more than one layer of security to pass through before gaining access to his or her accounts.
Once the client has accessed the accounts, it is an easy process to transfer funds from one account to another, check on balances, and make payments to credit cards. Many banks also offer the ability to generate and mail checks to vendors as well. These sort of B2C applications make it possible for persons who cannot get to a bank during the usual hours of operation to conduct all sorts of business, any time of the day or night.
B2C transactions have changed the way many people look at shopping and banking. Working hours, time zones, and even location have ceased to be factors in shopping at many stores or doing business with any banking institution. Because B2C applications are available around the clock, anyone with a reliable connection to the Internet can do anything from buying food to purchasing stocks and bonds at any time of the day or night.