Ecommerce & Online Business

Electronic commerce, EC, e-commerce or ecommerce consists primarily of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The information technology industry might see it as an electronic business application aimed at commercial transactions. It can involve electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, e-marketing, online marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange, automated inventory management systems, and automated data-collection systems. It typically uses electronic communications technology such as the Internet, extranets, e-mail, E-books, databases, and mobile phones.

Online business, or "e-business", may be defined broadly as any business process that is relies on an automated information system. Today, this is mostly done with Web-based technologies.

Electronic business methods enable companies to link their internal and external data processing systems more efficiently and flexibly, to work more closely with suppliers and partners, and to better satisfy the needs and expectations of their customers. In practice, e-business usually includes e-commerce. E-commerce seeks to add revenue streams using the Worldwide Web or the Internet to build and enhance relationships with clients and partners and to improve efficiency. Often, e-commerce involves the application of knowledge management systems.

E-business is more than just e-commerce. It involves business processes spanning the entire value chain: electronic purchasing and supply chain management, processing orders electronically, handling customer service, and cooperating with business partners. Special technical standards for e-business facilitate the exchange of data between companies. E-business software solutions allow the integration of intra and inter firm business processes.

E-business can be conducted using the Web, the Internet, intranets, extranets, or some combination of these.