1 Transactional e-commerce sites. These enable purchase of products online. The main
business contribution of the site is through sale of these products. The sites also support
the business by providing information for consumers that prefer to purchase products
offline. These include retail sites, travel sites and online banking services.
2 Services-oriented relationship-building web sites. Provide information to stimulate
purchase and build relationships. Products are not typically available for purchase online.
Information is provided through the web site and e-newsletters to inform purchase decisions.
The main business contribution is through encouraging offline sales and generating enquiries
or leads from potential customers. Such sites also add value to existing customers by providing
them with detailed information to help support them in their lives at work or at home.
3 Brand-building sites. Provide an experience to support the brand. Products are not typi-
cally available for online purchase. Their main focus is to support the brand by developing
an online experience of the brand. They are typical for low-value, high-volume fast-
moving consumer goods (FMCG brands) for consumers.
4 Portal, publisher or media sites. Provide information, news or entertainment about a range
of topics. ‘Portal’ refers to a gateway of information. This is information both on the site and
through links to other sites. Portals have a diversity of options for generating revenue,
including advertising, commission-based sales, sale of customer data (lists). Social networks
can also be considered to be in this category since they are often advertising-supported.