, b
business. technology. society.
b b
GLOBAL EDITION
b
S I X T E E N T H E D I T I O N
Kenneth C. Laudon
b b Carol Guercio Traver
b b
NewbYorkbUniversity AzimuthbInteractive,bInc.
Harlow,bEnglandb•bLondonb•bNewbYorkb•bBostonb•bSanbFranciscob•bTorontob
Sydneyb•bDubai b•bSingaporeb•bHongbKongb•bTokyob•bSeoul b•bTaipei
NewbDelhib•bCapebTownb•bSaobPaulob•bMexicobCityb•bMadridb•bAmsterdambMunichb
• bParisb• bMilan
,Pleaseb contact b https://support.pearson.com/getsupport/s/contactsupport b withb anyb queries b onb this b content.
Microsoft band/orbitsbrespectivebsuppliers bmakebnobrepresentationsbabout bthebsuitabilitybof bthebinformationbcontained binbthe
b documents bandbrelated bgraphicsbpublished bas bpart bof bthebservicesbforbanybpurpose. bAllbsuchbdocuments band brelatedbgraph
ics b arebprovided b“as bis”bwithoutbwarrantybof banybkind.bMicrosoftband/orbitsbrespectivebsuppliers bherebybdisclaimballbwarra
nties b and bconditions bwithbregardbtobthis binformation, bincludingballbwarrantiesbandbconditions bof bmerchantability, bwhetherbe
xpress,b impliedborbstatutory, bfitness bforba bparticularbpurpose, btitlebandbnon-
infringement. bInbnobevent bshallbMicrosoftband/orbitsb respectivebsuppliers bbebliablebforbanybspecial,bindirectborbconsequential
bdamages borbanybdamages bwhatsoeverbresulting
frombloss bof buse,bdata borbprofits,bwhetherbinbanbactionbofbcontract,bnegligenceborbotherbtortious baction,barisingboutbof borbinb co
nnectionbwithbthebuseborbperformancebof binformationbavailablebfrombthebservices.
Thebdocuments bandbrelatedbgraphicsbcontained bhereinbcouldbincludebtechnicalbinaccuraciesborbtypographicalberrors.b
Changes barebperiodicallybaddedbtobthebinformationbherein.bMicrosoftband/orbits brespectivebsuppliers bmaybmakeb imp
rovements band/orbchanges binbthebproduct(s)band/orbthebprogram(s) bdescribed bhereinbatbanybtime.bPartialbscreenb sho
ts bmaybbebviewedbinbfullbwithinbthebsoftwarebversionbspecified.
Microsoft®band bWindows®barebregistered btrademarksbofbthebMicrosoftbCorporationbinbthebU.S.A.bandbotherbcountries
.b This bbookbis bnot bsponsored borbendorsed bbyborbaffiliated bwithbthebMicrosoft bCorporation.
PearsonbEducationbLimited
KAO bTwob K
AO bParkb Hoc
kham bWayb H
arlow
Essex b C
M17 b9SR
UnitedbKingdom
and bAssociated bCompanies bthroughout bthebworld
Visit bus bonbthebWorldbWidebWebbat:bwww.pearsonglobaleditions.com
©bKennethbC.bLaudonbandbCarolbGuerciobTraver, b2021
Thebrights bofbKennethbC.bLaudonbandbCarolbGuerciobTraverbtobbebidentifiedbasbthebauthorsbof bthis bworkbhavebbeenbassertedbby
b them binbaccordancebwithbthebCopyright, bDesigns band bPatents bAct b1988.
Authorized b adaptationb fromb E-commerceb 2019:b business.b technology.b society.,b 15th b edition,b ISBNb 978-0-13-499845-
9,b by b Kenneth b C.b Laudonb and b Carolb Guerciob Traver,b published b by b Pearsonb Education.
Acknowledgments bof bthird-partybcontent bappearbonbthebappropriatebpagebwithinbthebtext.
Allbrights breserved.bNobpartbofbthisbpublicationbmaybbebreproduced,bstoredbinba bretrievalbsystem,borbtransmitted binbanybfo
rmb orbbybanybmeans,belectronic,bmechanical,bphotocopying, brecordingborbotherwise,bwithout beitherbthebpriorbwrittenbper
missionb of bthebpublisherborbablicensebpermittingbrestricted bcopyingbinbthebUnitedbKingdom bissued bbybthebCopyright bLicen
singbAgencyb Ltd,bSaffronbHouse,b6–10 bKirbybStreet,bLondonbEC1Nb8TS.
PEARSON, bALWAYSbLEARNING,bandbMYLABbarebexclusivebtrademarksbownedbbybPearsonbEducation, bInc.borbits baffiliate
s binb thebU.S.band/orbotherbcountries.
Allbtrademarks busedbhereinbarebthebpropertybofbtheirbrespectivebowners.bThebusebofbanybtrademarkbinbthis btext bdoes bnot bvest
binb thebauthorborbpublisherbanybtrademarkbownership brightsbinbsuchbtrademarks,bnorbdoes bthebusebofbsuchbtrademarks bimp
lybanyb affiliationbwithborbendorsement bofbthis bbookbbybsuchbowners.bForbinformationbregardingbpermissions,brequestbform
s,band btheb appropriatebcontactsbwithinbthebPearsonbEducationbGlobalbRightsbandbPermissions bdepartment, bpleasebvisit bww
w.pearsoned. b com/permissions/.
This beBookbis babstandalonebproductbandbmayborbmaybnot bincludeballbassets bthatbwerebpartbofbthebprint bversion.bItbalsobdoesbno
t b providebaccess btobotherbPearsonbdigitalbproducts blikebMyLabbandbMastering.bThebpublisherbreserves bthebright btobremoveba
nyb materialbinbthis beBookbat banybtime.
ISBN b 10:b 1-292-34316-8
ISBN b 13:b 978-1-292-34316-7
eBook b ISBN b 13:b 978-1-292-34321-1
British b Libraryb Cataloguing-in-Publication b Data
A bcataloguebrecord bforbthis bbookbisbavailablebfrombthebBritishbLibraryb e
Bookbformatted bbybIntegra bSoftwarebServices bPvt.bLtd.
, PREFACE
b b b b b b
E-commerceb2020–
2021:bbusiness. btechnology.bsociety, b16E, bGlobal bEditionbprovidesbyou bwithban bin-
depth bintroduct ion bto bthebfield bof be-
commerce.b Webfocusbon bkey bconcepts,band btheb latest b empiricalb and b financialb data,b thatb
willb help b you b understand bandb takebadvantage b ofb theb evolvingb worldb ofb opportunityb offere
db byb e-
commerce,b whichb isb dramaticallyb alteringb theb wayb businessb isbconductedband bdrivingbmajorb s
hiftsb inb theb globalb economy.b Theb Globalb Edition b isb aimed b atb studentsbandb professionalsb in b
theb European b Union,b theb Midd leb East,b Asia-
Pacific,b Australia,bandb Southb Africa.b Caseb studiesb reflectb e-
commercebfirmsb inb theseb region s,b and b figu resb and b tablesb relateb to b theseb regionalb sou rcesb
whereverb possible.
Just b asb important b asb ourb globalb orientation,b web haveb tried b to b createb ab book b that b isb t
hought-
provokin gb and b current .b Web useb theb most b recent b data bavailable,b and b focusb on b companie
sb thatb youbareb likely b tob encounterb onba bdaily b basisb in b yourb everyday b life,b suchbasb Facebook
,b Google,b Twitter,b Amazon,b YouTube,b Pinterest,beBay,b Uber,b WhatsApp,b Snapchat,band bman
y b moreb that byou b willb reco gn ize,b asb wellb asb someb excit in gb startupsb that b may b bebnewb tob y
ou.b Globalb Edition bcasesb includeb Puma,b Scratch,b Canva,bInMobi,b Spotify,b Deezer,b Souq,b Aliba
ba,b OVH,b ASOS,bMADE.COM,bBrut,bandb Rocket bInternet,bamongb others.b Webalsob haveb up-
to-dateb coverageb ofb theb keyb topicsb inb e-
commerceb today,b fromb privacyb andb piracy,b tob government b surveillance,b cyberwar,b fintec
h,b social-local-
mobileb marketing,b Internet b salesb taxes,b intellectualb property ,b andb more.b You b willb find b
hereb theb most b up-to-dateb and b comprehensive b overviewb of b e-commerceb today.
Theb e-
commerceb conceptsbyoub learn b inbthisbbookb willb makebyoub valuablebtobpotentialb employers.b T
heb e-
commerceb job b market b isb expandingb rapid ly .b Many b employersb expect b newb emp loyeesb t
o b understand b theb basicsb of b e-commerce,b onlineb marketin g,b and b howb to b develop ban be-
commercebp resen ce.b Every bindu stry btoday bisbtouched b in batbleast bsomeb way b by be-
commerce.bTheb info rmation band bknowled gebyou bfind bin bthisbbook b willbbebvaluableb thro
ughout b yourb career,b and bafterb readingb th isb book,b web expect b that b youb willb beb ableb to b par
ticipatebin,band beven blead,bmanagement bdiscussionsbabout be-commercebforbyourbfirm.
WHAT’S bNEWbINbTHEb16THbEDITION
CareersbinbE -com m erce
Inb thisb edition,b atb theb endb ofb everyb chapter,b web featureb ab sectionb onb careersb inb e-
commerceb thatb examinesb ab jobb postingb byb anb onlineb companyb forb anb entry-
levelb position.b Web provideba b brief b overviewb of b thebfield b and b company,b someb detailsb abo
utb theb posit ion,b a b listb of b theb qualification sb and b skillsb that bareb typically b requ ired ,b and b the
n b someb tipsb about b howb to b prepareb forb anb interv iew,b asb wellb asb showin gb howb theb conce
business. technology. society.
b b
GLOBAL EDITION
b
S I X T E E N T H E D I T I O N
Kenneth C. Laudon
b b Carol Guercio Traver
b b
NewbYorkbUniversity AzimuthbInteractive,bInc.
Harlow,bEnglandb•bLondonb•bNewbYorkb•bBostonb•bSanbFranciscob•bTorontob
Sydneyb•bDubai b•bSingaporeb•bHongbKongb•bTokyob•bSeoul b•bTaipei
NewbDelhib•bCapebTownb•bSaobPaulob•bMexicobCityb•bMadridb•bAmsterdambMunichb
• bParisb• bMilan
,Pleaseb contact b https://support.pearson.com/getsupport/s/contactsupport b withb anyb queries b onb this b content.
Microsoft band/orbitsbrespectivebsuppliers bmakebnobrepresentationsbabout bthebsuitabilitybof bthebinformationbcontained binbthe
b documents bandbrelated bgraphicsbpublished bas bpart bof bthebservicesbforbanybpurpose. bAllbsuchbdocuments band brelatedbgraph
ics b arebprovided b“as bis”bwithoutbwarrantybof banybkind.bMicrosoftband/orbitsbrespectivebsuppliers bherebybdisclaimballbwarra
nties b and bconditions bwithbregardbtobthis binformation, bincludingballbwarrantiesbandbconditions bof bmerchantability, bwhetherbe
xpress,b impliedborbstatutory, bfitness bforba bparticularbpurpose, btitlebandbnon-
infringement. bInbnobevent bshallbMicrosoftband/orbitsb respectivebsuppliers bbebliablebforbanybspecial,bindirectborbconsequential
bdamages borbanybdamages bwhatsoeverbresulting
frombloss bof buse,bdata borbprofits,bwhetherbinbanbactionbofbcontract,bnegligenceborbotherbtortious baction,barisingboutbof borbinb co
nnectionbwithbthebuseborbperformancebof binformationbavailablebfrombthebservices.
Thebdocuments bandbrelatedbgraphicsbcontained bhereinbcouldbincludebtechnicalbinaccuraciesborbtypographicalberrors.b
Changes barebperiodicallybaddedbtobthebinformationbherein.bMicrosoftband/orbits brespectivebsuppliers bmaybmakeb imp
rovements band/orbchanges binbthebproduct(s)band/orbthebprogram(s) bdescribed bhereinbatbanybtime.bPartialbscreenb sho
ts bmaybbebviewedbinbfullbwithinbthebsoftwarebversionbspecified.
Microsoft®band bWindows®barebregistered btrademarksbofbthebMicrosoftbCorporationbinbthebU.S.A.bandbotherbcountries
.b This bbookbis bnot bsponsored borbendorsed bbyborbaffiliated bwithbthebMicrosoft bCorporation.
PearsonbEducationbLimited
KAO bTwob K
AO bParkb Hoc
kham bWayb H
arlow
Essex b C
M17 b9SR
UnitedbKingdom
and bAssociated bCompanies bthroughout bthebworld
Visit bus bonbthebWorldbWidebWebbat:bwww.pearsonglobaleditions.com
©bKennethbC.bLaudonbandbCarolbGuerciobTraver, b2021
Thebrights bofbKennethbC.bLaudonbandbCarolbGuerciobTraverbtobbebidentifiedbasbthebauthorsbof bthis bworkbhavebbeenbassertedbby
b them binbaccordancebwithbthebCopyright, bDesigns band bPatents bAct b1988.
Authorized b adaptationb fromb E-commerceb 2019:b business.b technology.b society.,b 15th b edition,b ISBNb 978-0-13-499845-
9,b by b Kenneth b C.b Laudonb and b Carolb Guerciob Traver,b published b by b Pearsonb Education.
Acknowledgments bof bthird-partybcontent bappearbonbthebappropriatebpagebwithinbthebtext.
Allbrights breserved.bNobpartbofbthisbpublicationbmaybbebreproduced,bstoredbinba bretrievalbsystem,borbtransmitted binbanybfo
rmb orbbybanybmeans,belectronic,bmechanical,bphotocopying, brecordingborbotherwise,bwithout beitherbthebpriorbwrittenbper
missionb of bthebpublisherborbablicensebpermittingbrestricted bcopyingbinbthebUnitedbKingdom bissued bbybthebCopyright bLicen
singbAgencyb Ltd,bSaffronbHouse,b6–10 bKirbybStreet,bLondonbEC1Nb8TS.
PEARSON, bALWAYSbLEARNING,bandbMYLABbarebexclusivebtrademarksbownedbbybPearsonbEducation, bInc.borbits baffiliate
s binb thebU.S.band/orbotherbcountries.
Allbtrademarks busedbhereinbarebthebpropertybofbtheirbrespectivebowners.bThebusebofbanybtrademarkbinbthis btext bdoes bnot bvest
binb thebauthorborbpublisherbanybtrademarkbownership brightsbinbsuchbtrademarks,bnorbdoes bthebusebofbsuchbtrademarks bimp
lybanyb affiliationbwithborbendorsement bofbthis bbookbbybsuchbowners.bForbinformationbregardingbpermissions,brequestbform
s,band btheb appropriatebcontactsbwithinbthebPearsonbEducationbGlobalbRightsbandbPermissions bdepartment, bpleasebvisit bww
w.pearsoned. b com/permissions/.
This beBookbis babstandalonebproductbandbmayborbmaybnot bincludeballbassets bthatbwerebpartbofbthebprint bversion.bItbalsobdoesbno
t b providebaccess btobotherbPearsonbdigitalbproducts blikebMyLabbandbMastering.bThebpublisherbreserves bthebright btobremoveba
nyb materialbinbthis beBookbat banybtime.
ISBN b 10:b 1-292-34316-8
ISBN b 13:b 978-1-292-34316-7
eBook b ISBN b 13:b 978-1-292-34321-1
British b Libraryb Cataloguing-in-Publication b Data
A bcataloguebrecord bforbthis bbookbisbavailablebfrombthebBritishbLibraryb e
Bookbformatted bbybIntegra bSoftwarebServices bPvt.bLtd.
, PREFACE
b b b b b b
E-commerceb2020–
2021:bbusiness. btechnology.bsociety, b16E, bGlobal bEditionbprovidesbyou bwithban bin-
depth bintroduct ion bto bthebfield bof be-
commerce.b Webfocusbon bkey bconcepts,band btheb latest b empiricalb and b financialb data,b thatb
willb help b you b understand bandb takebadvantage b ofb theb evolvingb worldb ofb opportunityb offere
db byb e-
commerce,b whichb isb dramaticallyb alteringb theb wayb businessb isbconductedband bdrivingbmajorb s
hiftsb inb theb globalb economy.b Theb Globalb Edition b isb aimed b atb studentsbandb professionalsb in b
theb European b Union,b theb Midd leb East,b Asia-
Pacific,b Australia,bandb Southb Africa.b Caseb studiesb reflectb e-
commercebfirmsb inb theseb region s,b and b figu resb and b tablesb relateb to b theseb regionalb sou rcesb
whereverb possible.
Just b asb important b asb ourb globalb orientation,b web haveb tried b to b createb ab book b that b isb t
hought-
provokin gb and b current .b Web useb theb most b recent b data bavailable,b and b focusb on b companie
sb thatb youbareb likely b tob encounterb onba bdaily b basisb in b yourb everyday b life,b suchbasb Facebook
,b Google,b Twitter,b Amazon,b YouTube,b Pinterest,beBay,b Uber,b WhatsApp,b Snapchat,band bman
y b moreb that byou b willb reco gn ize,b asb wellb asb someb excit in gb startupsb that b may b bebnewb tob y
ou.b Globalb Edition bcasesb includeb Puma,b Scratch,b Canva,bInMobi,b Spotify,b Deezer,b Souq,b Aliba
ba,b OVH,b ASOS,bMADE.COM,bBrut,bandb Rocket bInternet,bamongb others.b Webalsob haveb up-
to-dateb coverageb ofb theb keyb topicsb inb e-
commerceb today,b fromb privacyb andb piracy,b tob government b surveillance,b cyberwar,b fintec
h,b social-local-
mobileb marketing,b Internet b salesb taxes,b intellectualb property ,b andb more.b You b willb find b
hereb theb most b up-to-dateb and b comprehensive b overviewb of b e-commerceb today.
Theb e-
commerceb conceptsbyoub learn b inbthisbbookb willb makebyoub valuablebtobpotentialb employers.b T
heb e-
commerceb job b market b isb expandingb rapid ly .b Many b employersb expect b newb emp loyeesb t
o b understand b theb basicsb of b e-commerce,b onlineb marketin g,b and b howb to b develop ban be-
commercebp resen ce.b Every bindu stry btoday bisbtouched b in batbleast bsomeb way b by be-
commerce.bTheb info rmation band bknowled gebyou bfind bin bthisbbook b willbbebvaluableb thro
ughout b yourb career,b and bafterb readingb th isb book,b web expect b that b youb willb beb ableb to b par
ticipatebin,band beven blead,bmanagement bdiscussionsbabout be-commercebforbyourbfirm.
WHAT’S bNEWbINbTHEb16THbEDITION
CareersbinbE -com m erce
Inb thisb edition,b atb theb endb ofb everyb chapter,b web featureb ab sectionb onb careersb inb e-
commerceb thatb examinesb ab jobb postingb byb anb onlineb companyb forb anb entry-
levelb position.b Web provideba b brief b overviewb of b thebfield b and b company,b someb detailsb abo
utb theb posit ion,b a b listb of b theb qualification sb and b skillsb that bareb typically b requ ired ,b and b the
n b someb tipsb about b howb to b prepareb forb anb interv iew,b asb wellb asb showin gb howb theb conce
