Relationship e-Commerce (R-Commerce)

Relationship e-commerce is a business aim where a company or organisation focuses on its relationship with the consumer. R-Commerce is more present in the B2C model.

More than price, an r-commerce aimed business will try its best to keep building a long-term relationship with its customers. There are some key aspects of the business that help to identify relationship e-Commerce companies.

Key characteristics of R-commerce businesses

Among the various components to identify Relationship e-commerce businesses, there is product or service reliability. Further than the price, it is the relationship that encourages the customer to come back to such an e-commerce model. This can also be linked to brand equity, as the name, quality of service and product is what the consumer looks for. Another important part of R-commerce comes from the websites of such companies: they are very rich in content, yet simple and accessible to every user. The adaptability of relationship e-commerce is also important and drives the consumer towards them. They have been able to identify the particular needs of customers and moved towards new and interesting markets; for instance Amazon selling other products than just books.

The importance of User Generated Content for Relationship e-Commerce(UGC)

An important aspect of Relationship e-Commerce is the fact that the service satisfies the customer to the point where he wants to recommend it to others. This is done either through UGC or by brand advocates. The former is achieved by allowing consumers to post reviews and comment about their experience with a product or service. Brand advocates on the other hand will simply recommend the brand or a particular product to others online. It can be through their blogs or any other online community platform.

Is r-commerce a must nowadays?

Technology and the possibility of developing a working e-commerce platform are available to virtually anyone. However, to work on the long-term building and nurturing the consumer’s trust is vital; thus the importance of R-Commerce. Examples of working relationship e-commerce business would include Amazon and Dell.