There was a time when C2C ecommerce platforms almost didn’t exist. Buyers used to doubt the quality they might receive online and sellers weren’t sure if they would be able to make a sale online. But during the pandemic, C2C ecommerce has made a global impact in the ecommerce world.
Nowadays, millions of people sell their unwanted goods online. And to enable them to sell directly to buyers, more and more entrepreneurs are creating C2C ecommerce stores.
However, there are a lot of business owners who still have no idea about the benefits of this business model and the best C2C ecommerce platforms out there. In this blog, Techosquare will tell you everything about launching a C2C ecommerce store in 2022.
From meaning to benefits, and examples to popular ecommerce platforms, we will cover all important aspects. Let’s start with the meaning first!
Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) ecommerce is a commerce model in which one consumer sells his goods or services to other consumers online. It is one of the four pivotal ecommerce business models, the other three being B2B (business-to-business), C2B (consumer-to-business), and B2C (business-to-consumer).
transaction that is made between two customers is led by a third party, basically by online actuation, social media platform, or ecommerce website, that looks after transaction status, payments, and other aspects. It helps sellers as well as buyers to find each other by charging a small fee or commission.
The digital shift in the consumer buying and selling process is very real and businesses who are not already online will need to act fast and enter the C2C ecommerce scene soon.
If your motive is to provide consumers a platform to buy and sell goods in all segments or a specific segment, generate max sales and give a boost to your market share, you need to understand the value of C2C ecommerce.
So, why exactly should you be starting a C2C ecommerce store? Here are the reasons:
W. Edwards Deming - a famous American engineer - once said, “Profit in business comes from repeat customers; customers who boast about your product or service and bring their friends along.” By providing a good online C2C platform to buy and sell, your business will gain their trust.
Also, they are likely to recommend your C2C ecommerce marketplace store to their friends which in turn will increase profitability for both sellers and your business. And do you know what else will boost profit? Zero involvement of intermediaries! It will lower the cost of the product or service being offered, thus, increasing business profitability.
Earlier, C2C used to occur mostly at flea markets, through the classified section of a newspaper, at a garage sale, or thrift stores. Sellers had to secure their stall in the market area in order to sell products. They also had to pay for taking space outside the shop or at a specific spot in the flea market, electricity, and staff.
As if these weren’t bad enough, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited physical buying-selling interaction to a great extent. Meaning, sellers aren't making enough profits to easily pay those additional costs.
*Enters C2C ecommerce model*
Starting a C2C ecommerce marketplace provides sellers a platform to sell their products to online buyers and lower operational costs by a long chalk and that too while sitting at home.
Benefit for you? You will make money from fees or commissions charged to sellers for listing items for sale or on making a sale. And those commissions will be way more than commissions you used to make in the physical world.
70 e-commerce features to include in your C2C ecommerce store.
One of the biggest advantages of the C2C ecommerce model. With a physical marketplace, the number of visitors and potential customers walking in depends on chance, store location, and marketing. With a C2C ecommerce store, the chances of getting visits by customers (both sellers and buyers) and transactions are much higher.
C2C ecommerce also increases your access to a worldwide audience. Meaning, customers will be able to come to your platform and sell their products, that too while sitting in different corners of the world. They will increase the chances of conversion.
Okay, this benefit is not for C2C ecommerce platform owners but customers (sellers and buyers). The C2C ecommerce business model removes most barriers that prevent people from using virtual of business models. Meaning, it provides convenience to both buyers and sellers.
The costs involved in starting a traditional small business or thrift store to sell products are too high for many sellers. In fact, some sellers don’t even want to sell their products as their main source of income. Similarly, it is difficult to find and buy goods at services at reasonable prices for buyers in their cities.
C2C ecommerce model will sweep away these inconveniences and make it easy to conduct business from your own home.
There are many C2C ecommerce business examples already involved in several different industries. Here are the popular ones:
Are you a huge fan of handmade or vintage products as well as unique factory products? If yes, you must have heard about Etsy. It is a very popular multivendor C2C ecommerce store that allows customers (especially those independent artists and crafters) to sell their goods to other customers.
Etsy focuses on handmade toys, collectibles, art, home goods, vintage furniture, clothing, and jewellery.
We bet you guys know this C2C ecommerce website very well. Who doesn’t? eBay is a popular shopping website in which customers buy and sell a large variety of goods and services worldwide. And do you know this website is not only built for customers? Businesses can also enjoy the great benefits of eBay.
Meaning, apart from using C2C ecommerce model, eBay also utilizes B2C business model. This website has been in the industry for a long time and has great market acknowledgment.
One of the greatest C2C ecommerce platform examples to emerge from India. OLX is almost similar to eBay. OLX has made it so easy for people to buy, sell, and exchange new as well as used goods and services online. One major difference between these two websites is that it doesn’t use a B2C business model.
Another difference is that unlike eBay, which asks you for an insertion fee when you create a listing, and a final value fee when your item sells, OLX is mostly free. This C2C ecommerce website also has its own mobile application
Another great C2C ecommerce platform example. Alibaba allows customers to sell their products to other customers worldwide. Also known for using the B2C ecommerce model, this giant trading platform is built specifically for Chinese customers who want to sell and ship their products outside of China. AliExpress has over 150 million customers all over the world including US, Canada, India, Russia, UK, and other countries.
Okay, it seems like we have covered all important aspects of the C2C ecommerce store. That said, we are…
Wait, aren’t we forgetting something?
Oh, we didn’t tell you about the C2C ecommerce platform!
SwiftKart is one of the finest self-hosted C2C e-commerce software solutions that can be used to launch fully functional and aesthetically pleasing C2C stores. The self-hosted solution is loaded with powerful features that simplify the digital transformation for offline C2C businesses.
Online customer-to-customer stores, especially marketplaces, built using SwiftKart bring the best of both worlds by guaranteeing quick turnaround, low cost, and future scalability.
The following are the reasons why SwiftKart has captured the fancy of C2C business owners in 2022:
Learn more about the best C2C ecommerce store builder .
C2C ecommerce industry is a flourishing and rapidly developing industry of 2022 that has made the process of buying and selling for customers as easy as ABC. Also, keep in mind that the beginning of a C2C ecommerce store can be quite difficult.
Make sure to do thorough research, give your C2C business some time, and use proper planning and tools. We have now told you everything about C2C ecommerce.
Got any queries to ask? Send them to info@techosquare.com and have them answered by our ecommerce experts.
How to start an e-commerce store in 2022.
10 niche e-commerce business ideas to dominate 2022
5-step DIY guide to take offline business online
Ultimate B2B ecommerce business guide
PHP development services in India
