Consumer between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0

Abstract

Along with the digital technologies’advance over the last decade, more sales and marketing channels have emerged, causing consumers to change their habits and purchasing behavior. This paper appears in the context of such an issue and aims both to present the increasingly omni-channel nature of the consumer behavior and to identifyand emphasize the needs and expectations of the customers, in line with the development of the Internet. Therefore, the paper presents the evolution of the modern consumer considering the Web conversion from a static environment to an interactive community. During the two intertwined phases of Web development presented in this paper, namely Web 2.0 and Web 3.0, customers have evolved from a highly informed and socially connected to a more empowered and engaged cus- tomer, defined by the ability to adapt and apply new technologies to meet their specific individual needs and seeking for an even emotional bond with brands. The paper also exposes how the social media landscape has generated a power shift from the business organizationstowardtheconsumerand how social media can be a powerful tool with which consumers can react if they feel that their rights are aggrieved by business organizations.