Q.Choose the correct option: In the B2C model of e-commerce, the transaction takes place between —

E-commerce models are named by the parties on each side of the deal, with B for business and C for consumer, read as 'from … to …'.

B2C is the ordinary online retailing in which a company sells directly to individual shoppers, so the parties are a business and a consumer.

The abbreviation B2C expands to Business to Consumer, so we match each option to the correct pair of parties.

• (a) two businesses — this is B2B (Business to Business), such as a wholesaler supplying a retailer, not B2C.
• (b) a business and a consumer — correct. In B2C a business sells directly to the final consumer, as in everyday online shopping for clothes, books or electronics.
• (c) two consumers — this is C2C (Consumer to Consumer), such as selling a used item on a marketplace.
• (d) a consumer and a business — this is C2B (Consumer to Business), such as a freelancer selling work to a company.

B2C is the most visible model, with a very large number of customers making small-value purchases.

Students often confuse the direction of the arrow — C2B and B2C are opposites. Read left-to-right as 'from seller to buyer': B2C = business selling to a consumer; C2B = consumer offering to a business.