E-commerce is defined as financial transactions that are conducted by electronic means. With the growth of commerce on the Internet and the World Wide Web, e-commerce often refers to purchases from online stores, otherwise knows as e-commerce Web sites. They may also be referred to as "virtual-stores" or "cyber stores". An e-business enterprise uses the Internet, intranets, extranets, and other networks to support every step of the commercial process. This might include everything from advertising, sales, and customer support on the Web, to Internet security and payment mechanisms that ensure completion of delivery and payment processes. E-commerce transactions generally fall into one of four business models which are:
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Two of the defining moments for e-commerce were during the 1998 the holiday shopping spree where Amazon.com was lifted over the $1 billion barrier in annual sales and AOL generated $1.2 billion in sales during the 10 weeks of holiday shopping alone. |
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C2C Web sites, such as eBay.com, can help people sell hard to find items to other consumers. |
B2B — businesses exchange products, services, or information between businesses.
B2C — businesses sell to consumers.
C2B — consumers can bond together and buy in volume at lower prices.
C2C — consumers buy from other consumers from online auction or classified ad websites.