The term electronic commerce or ecommerce is not strange to internet users. It refers to the electronic buying and selling of products and services over the internet and other computer networks. Although a high proportion of this kind of trading is done online for virtual items, there is some that involves the physical items in some way. This group that collects orders electronically and then physically delivers them to your doorstep is commonly referred to as e-tailers.

Electronic commerce can be conducted between to business entities; this is referred to as Business-to-Business or B2B. Examples of B2B may be suppliers of machinery equipment, insurance, payroll services, etc. Electronic Commerce can also be conducted between a business entity and consumers, and is referred to as Business-to-Consumer or B2C. Examples of B2C include book sellers, web hosting services etc. Then there is the Click and Mortar electronic commerce model that combines street presence with internet presence.

When the customer is directly connected to seller’s computer via the internet, we refer to this form of electronic commerce as online shopping. Online shopping will always require the use of a shopping cart, software that allows for the exchange of online currency for the products or services being offered by the seller.

Electronic commerce has helped in the formation of several new business models and is ever evolving as companies discover new ingenious methods of winning customers. The key to success in electronic commerce is the process of tailoring the web shopping experience for the shoppers. There is the need to make the online shopper that they are not just communicating with a machine at the other end of the internet and are actually going through the experience they would have were they physically at a store speaking to a devoted sales representative.

Initially electronic commerce was regarded with trepidation, mainly because of security concerns, but today almost everyone is shopping online. The integration of electronic commerce in our day to day lives is making life more comfortable any day. So tonight as you watch that game on the TV, and you need a pizza; simply log on and order online and within no time... Ding Dong... It will be at your doorstep.