E-Commerce Business Models and Search Engine Dependency

Tobias Klatt

Department of Business Administration and Economics, European-University Viadrina, Frankfurt Oder, Germany.

DOI: 10.4236/ib.2013.53B041                

Abstract

E-Commerce business models attracted a great deal of attention in the last years. An increasing number of bargains are realized via online transactions. However, some business models suffer distinctly under changes of search engine algorithms while others experience continuous stable traffic. This paper sheds light on the drivers of the unpunished e-commerce businesses based on a case-by-case analysis of 43 business models in the German Internet market. The analysis reveals that more stable business models are characterized by diversified customer arrivals which are obtained by a focused product management, multiple marketing channeling, freemium registration strategies and a subtle way to attract customer trust.

Keywords

E-Commerce; Digital Business Models; Search Engine Optimization; Transaction Costs

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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