Although there is no exact definition of e-commerce, it may be
generally described as a method of buying and selling products
on the Internet (usually through the World Wide Web). E-commerce
includes business-to-business, business-to-consumer and consumer-to-business
transactions.
The term "e-business" may be used interchangeably with "e-commerce".
"E-tailing" is occasionally used to describe online retail selling.
E-commerce may be broken down into separate components:
- "Virtual storefronts" - web sites with online catalogs (sometimes
as part of a "virtual mall")
- Business-to-business direct buying and selling
- Contacting prospective and established customers via e-mail
and fax (example: newsletters for subscribers)
- Business-to-business data exchange (EDI = Electronic Data
Interchange)
- Gathering demographic data by web contact
- Business transaction security
For more information about e-commerce see the On-line Women's
Business Center's Technology Tower webpage: http://www.onlinewbc.org/DOCS/techno/index.html
