E-Commerce: Meaning and Types

Lesson objectives

By the end of the week, learners should be able to:

1. Define e-commerce and name three commerce types.
2. Compare retail, service and wholesale commerce on criteria.
3. Explain why electronic commerce suits small sellers.
4. Describe one local e-commerce platform serving retail commerce.
5. Judge whether a given scenario fits a commerce type.

Key vocabulary

• E-commerce: buying and selling goods or services online.
• Retail commerce: direct sale to individual buyers.
• Service commerce: selling digital or services rather than physical goods.
• Wholesale commerce: bulk sale to businesses.
• Electronic marketplace: an online platform enabling transactions.
• Small seller: an individual business selling directly.
• Criteria: measurable attributes such as price and scale.
• Platform: the infrastructure enabling the transaction.
• Local commerce: trade occurring within a region.

Common misconceptions

• "E-commerce means selling products only." Service commerce also counts.
• "Electronic commerce replaces local markets." Electronic commerce supplements local markets rather than replacing them.
• "Every seller benefits equally from electronic commerce." Small sellers benefit disproportionately from low overhead.

Teacher activities

1. Starter: display three commerce types and ask which fits a typical supermarket.
2. Define e-commerce and name three types with examples.
3. Compare retail, service and wholesale on price, scale and channel.
4. Explain why electronic commerce suits small sellers.
5. Name one local e-commerce platform and describe its retail service.
6. Close with the scenario-classification task and exit question.

Student activities

1. Choose the starter item and explain the reason.
2. Define e-commerce in their own words and name three types.
3. Compare retail, service and wholesale on three criteria.
4. Explain why electronic commerce suits small sellers in one paragraph.
5. Name one local e-commerce platform and describe its retail service.
6. Classify a scenario as retail, service or wholesale commerce.
7. Answer the exit question in one sentence about small sellers.

Practical / learning evidence

A three-type comparison chart, a small-seller explanation paragraph and a one-paragraph local-platform description. Submit all three for marking.

Resources and preparation

Printed chart templates, blank comparison cards and sample scenarios. Offline route: paper versions, no device needed. Display platform examples carefully and avoid citing proprietary commercial details beyond the service description.

Assessment for learning

Inspect the comparison chart for three distinct types compared across criteria. Check the small-seller explanation for a sensible overhead rationale. Mark the local-platform description for genuine retail service. Flag any learner who claims e-commerce means selling products only.

Inclusion and homework

Provide the comparison prefilled for the first two types and allow oral scenario classification. Extend confident learners with five commerce types and a sixth homework describing one electronic commerce platform from another country. Homework: describe one e-commerce service selling services rather than products in one paragraph.