Understanding E-commerce Basics and Trends
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moonthinkerUnderstanding E-commerce Basics and Trends
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moonthinkerE-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on
online services or over the Internet. Electronic commerce draws on technologies such as mobile
commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online
transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and
automated data collection systems. E-commerce is in turn driven by the technological advances of
the semiconductor industry, and is the largest sector of the electronics industry.
Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web for at least one part of the
transaction's life cycle although it may also use other technologies such as e-mail. Typical e-
commerce transactions include the purchase of online books (such as Amazon) and music
purchases (music download in the form of digital distribution such as iTunes Store), and to a less
extent, customized/personalized online liquor store inventory services.[1] There are three areas of e-
commerce: online retailing, electronic markets, and online auctions. E-commerce is supported
by electronic business.[2]
E-commerce businesses may also employ some or all of the followings:
• Online shopping for retail sales direct to consumers via Web sites and mobile apps,
and conversational commerce via live chat, chatbots, and voice assistants[3]
• Providing or participating in online marketplaces, which process third-party business-to-
consumer (B2C) or consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sales
• Business-to-business (B2B) buying and selling;
• Gathering and using demographic data through web contacts and social media
• Business-to-business (B2B) electronic data interchange
• Marketing to prospective and established customers by e-mail or fax (for example,
with newsletters)
• Engaging in pretail for launching new products and services
• Online financial exchanges for currency exchanges or trading purposes.
Contents
• 1Timeline
• 2Business application
• 3Governmental regulation
• 4Forms
• 5Global trends
• 6Logistics
• 7Impacts
o 7.1Impact on markets and retailers
o 7.2Impact on supply chain management
o 7.3Impact on employment
o 7.4Impact on customers
o 7.5Impact on the environment
o 7.6Impact on traditional retail
• 8Distribution channels
• 9Recommendation
• 10E-commerce during COVID-19
• 11See also
• 12References
• 13Further reading
• 14External links
