E+-commerce





=Electronic commerce = Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-comm, e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of[|products] or [|services] over electronic systems such as the Internet and other [|computer networks]. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in [|electronic funds transfer], [|supply chain management], [|Internet marketing], [|online transaction processing], [|electronic data interchange] (EDI), [|inventory management] systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the [|World Wide Web] at least at some point in the transaction's lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as [|e-mail], mobile devices and telephones as well. A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for [|virtual] items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as [|e-tailers] and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the [|World Wide Web]. Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses is referred to as [|business-to-business] or B2B. B2B can be open to all interested parties (e.g. [|commodity exchange]) or limited to specific, pre-qualified participants ([|private electronic market]). Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses and consumers, on the other hand, is referred to as [|business-to-consumer] or [|B2C]. This is the type of electronic commerce conducted by companies such as [|Amazon.com]. [|Online shopping] is a form of electronic commerce where the buyer is directly online to the seller's computer usually via the internet. There is no intermediary service. The sale and purchase transaction is completed electronically and interactively in real-time such as Amazon.com for new books. If an intermediary is present, then the sale and purchase transaction is called electronic commerce such as [|eBay.com].

Early development
Originally, electronic commerce was identified as the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These were both introduced in the late 1970s, allowing businesses to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices electronically. The growth and acceptance of credit cards, automated teller machines (ATM) and telephone banking in the 1980s were also forms of electronic commerce. Another form of e-commerce was the airline reservation system typified by Sabre in the USA and Travicom in the UK.

Electronic commerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of [|e-business]. It also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions.

Sakha' Ahmad