What is  E-Commerce?

E-commerce is an online retail industry where customers are able to browse, buy and order products and services, such as clothes and household goods.

The information typically presented includes product details about size, color, style, price and additional features.

Customers can also order items via electronic methods like credit cards at checkout or shopping cart systems.

The merchandise is delivered to the customer by a courier service or by the company itself via be called "drop shipping", depending on their policies.

E-commerce sales differ from retail sales in that it involves the selling of intangible goods or services, rather than tangible goods.

E-commerce is made possible by technologies for collecting and exchanging information via computer networks.

The Internet is an example of a technology that can be used for e-commerce to enable buyers to search for, browse and purchase products available on sellers’ websites.

The largest e-tailer in 2015 was Amazon.com and the largest marketplace was Alibaba Group; other players included eBay and ATAR Airlines.

E-commerce is also called online shopping. E-commerce companies can be classified in three types:

In an e-commerce company, a buyer stores the product and payment data on a server of the merchant or merchant's organization, and later can access the product from any computer at any time.

This is contrasted with traditional retailing model where customers present their cash to shop in stores.

Online shopping can be made affordable for anyone as compared to traditional brick and mortar shops where only middle class people have access to such facilities.

Also online shopping is easier and more comfortable than traditional shop, it can be done sitting at home.