According to different forms of trade, cross-border e-commerce can be divided into paperless trade, network platform trade, online exhibition and other types.
1) Paperless trade
Paperless trade can generally be understood as the use of information technology, through the network environment and standard specifications, in the transaction process of the trade industry chain, to combine the commercial behavior of trade-related parties with the realization of government functions, thereby improving the information exchange and process optimization between government trade management departments, enterprises and value-added service providers, and realizing the paperless process of commodity and service trade.
2) Network platform trade
Network platform trade refers to trade activities conducted using computer network systems that provide network space, technology and transaction services for various types of network transactions (including B2B, B2C and C2C transactions). For example, international trade on the eBay C2C platform mainly conducts payment activities, and international trade on the Alibaba B2B platform mainly conducts information exchange.
3) Online exhibition
Online exhibition refers to trade exhibitions conducted on the Internet, which are usually used as a supplement to traditional physical trade fairs. For example, the Online Canton Fair is an e-commerce platform of the China Guangzhou Export Commodities Fair, which provides Chinese companies and international buyers with more convenient information exchange channels all year round and creates more trade cooperation opportunities.
From the perspective of trade attributes, e-commerce in the field of international trade can be divided into the following two types.
1) Physical product e-commerce
Physical product e-commerce refers to the electronic negotiation, ordering, invoicing, collection of payments and other activities related to the trade of tangible goods. The physical product itself needs to be delivered through traditional channels (such as postal services and commercial express delivery) or delivered on site (such as real estate products). E-commerce of physical products is generally indirect trade.
2) Information product e-commerce
Information product e-commerce includes the electronic sale of computer software, online ordering and electronic delivery of entertainment content; it also includes online transactions of financial products and tourism products or global-scale information services. Intangible products and services can be traded directly through the Internet or in some indirect way.