e-commerce business models in the context of web3.0 paradigm

Web 3.0 promises to have a significant effect in users and businesses. It will change how people work and play, how companies use information to market and sell their products, as well as operate their businesses. The basic shift occurring in Web 3.0 is from information-centric to knowledge-centric patterns of computing. Web 3.0 will enable people and machines to connect, evolve, share and use knowledge on an unprecedented scale and in new ways that make our experience of the Internet better. Additionally, semantic technologies have the potential to drive significant improvements in capabilities and life cycle economics through cost reductions, improved efficiencies, enhanced effectiveness, and new functionalities that were not possible or economically feasible before. In this paper we look to the semantic web and Web 3.0 technologies as enablers for the creation of value and appearance of new business models. For that, we analyze the role and impact of Web 3.0 in business and we identify nine potential business models, based in direct and undirected revenue sources, which have emerged with the appearance of semantic web technologies.

💡 Research Summary

The paper examines how the emergence of Web 3.0 and semantic‑web technologies reshapes e‑commerce by shifting the Internet from an information‑centric to a knowledge‑centric paradigm. It first outlines the technical foundations—ontologies and knowledge graphs that give data explicit meaning, blockchain that guarantees immutable provenance and decentralized identity, and AI that can reason over the enriched data. These components enable standardized product metadata, real‑time smart‑contract settlement, and user‑controlled data ownership, which together lower operational costs, increase transparency, and unlock new forms of personalization.

Building on this technological backdrop, the authors identify nine novel business models that have arisen with Web 3.0. They categorize them into direct‑revenue models (token‑based product sales, subscription services, NFT leasing/purchasing, knowledge‑sharing marketplaces, and digital‑twin‑driven retail) and indirect or “undirected” revenue models (data‑mining services, hyper‑targeted advertising/sponsorship, liquidity‑pool incentives, and community‑driven reputation/reward systems). Each model leverages smart contracts for automated payments and token economics for incentive alignment. For example, a knowledge‑sharing marketplace allows experts to mint ontological assets as tokens; buyers integrate these assets into AI‑driven applications, creating downstream value that is automatically remunerated via on‑chain transactions. A digital‑twin retail model records virtual product replicas on a blockchain, enabling subscription‑based access or temporary ownership without physical inventory.

The paper evaluates the expected benefits—cost reduction, efficiency gains, enhanced user engagement, and new value‑creation pathways—against the challenges that could impede adoption. Key obstacles include the lack of widely accepted semantic standards, regulatory uncertainty around tokenized assets, high upfront infrastructure costs, and security/privacy risks inherent in decentralized systems. The authors conclude that while Web 3.0 offers a powerful platform for reinventing e‑commerce value chains, firms must pair technology adoption with organizational change, robust governance, and proactive regulatory compliance to fully realize the potential of these emerging models.