Historical Development of Electronic Commerce

The meaning of the term "electronic commerce" has changed over time. Originally, "electronic commerce" meant the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, usually using technology like Electronic Data Interchange (EDI, introduced in the late 1970s) to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices electronically.
Later it came to include activities more precisely termed "Web commerce" -- the purchase of goods and services over the World Wide Web via secure servers (note HTTPS, a special server protocol which encrypts confidential ordering data for customer protection) with e-shopping carts and with electronic pay services, like credit card payment authorizations.
When the Web first became well-known among the general public in 1994, many journalists and pundits forecast that e-commerce would soon become a major economic sector. However, it took about four years for security protocols (like HTTPS) to become sufficiently developed and widely deployed (during the browser wars of this period). Subsequently, between 1998 and 2000, a substantial number of businesses in the United States and Western Europe developed rudimentary Web sites.
Although a large number of "pure e-commerce" companies disappeared during the dot-com collapse in 2000 and 2001, many "brick-and-mortar" retailers recognized that such companies had identified valuable niche markets and began to add e-commerce capabilities to their Web sites. For example, after the collapse of online grocer Webvan, two traditional supermarket chains, Albertsons and Safeway, both started e-commerce subsidiaries through which consumers could order groceries online.
As of 2005, e-commerce has become well-established in major cities across much of North America, Western Europe, and certain East Asian countries like South Korea. However, e-commerce is still emerging slowly in some industrialized countries, and is practically nonexistent in many Third World countries.
Electronic commerce has unlimited potential for both developed and developing nations, offering lucrative profits in a highly unregulated environment.
Hanif Khaki is the acclaimed author of numerous business related articles and is the founder of the popular e-commerce resource site http://www.ecommerce.extra-information.com/

E-commerce

If you own an online business and don't know what an e commerce merchant account is you need to read this article. An E commerce merchant account is absolutely essential it is one of the hidden cogs that turn the wheels of your online business. It is extremely vital if you plan to sell any products or services through your website. This will increase your chances of making a profit as it will allow your visitors to pay through a number of different mechanisms including using credit cards.
Having access to an e commerce merchant account will enhance your profit margin and help you concentrate in other aspects of the business. It is important for you to shop around and find the deal that is ideal for your requirements.
There are a number of different factors which one needs to take into account when coming to selecting an e commerce account for your business. Firstly, you need to keep in mind the fees charged by the e commerce merchant account. The fee charged varies widely. Some charge monthly fees while others opt for a one off payment. The credibility and reliability are other very important factors as your profits will suffer if you choose an unreliable provider. You should not sign up with an e commerce merchant account provider and then for them to go bust. Therefore, you need to look carefully. You also need to look for a provider that can handle and process payments from a wide variety of sources, the more the better. As ideally they need to be able to handle payments via credit card and also allow users to pay through other payment systems such as Paypal.
Thus a reliable, secure and credible e commerce account is essential for you if you want your online business to be a success, carefully consider what you want and what you need before jumping in and signing up with for an e commerce account as it will be one of the most important decisions you make in launching your online business.
Zed Miller, an expert business writer, regularly contributes his articles to various websites just to help merchants, small businesses and retail houses to expand their market base by accepting the prevailing mode of payments.
Visit http://www.merchantservicez.com to read more articles from this author
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Starting Your E-Commerce Site

So you’ve decided to start an e-commerce web site. Congratulations! There has never been a better time than now to start an e-commerce web site. To the average business person, starting an e-commerce site is a daunting task. The purpose of this article is to point you in the right direction and inform you of some of your options.
The first step in creating your e-commerce site is to decide how to create your site. Since e-commerce has exploded over the last few years, there are more design options. The “easier” option is to use an all in one package from one of the larger hosting companies. Another option is to use an e-commerce system like osCommerce or X-Cart. Finally, another option is you can have a web developer design a custom site for you. Now let’s take a look at these options.
All in One PackagesAre you new to the internet? This could possibly be the best option for you. Hosting companies such as GoDaddy, Yahoo, 1and1, and Homestead have created plans where you can setup e-commerce sites yourself using a sitebuilder. Instead of paying a large price for your site, you pay a monthly cost to cover hosting. For about $10 a month, you can have an e-commerce site.
E-Commerce SystemsDo you have a little experience with designing web sites? Then you can use an e-commerce system for your site. Systems such as osCommerce and X-Cart are full-functioning e-commerce solutions that make doing business easy. All you have to do is buy the hosting, install the software, and personalize the system. Although that is easier said than done, it is still a low cost solution.
Custom DesignIf you’re looking for a specific type of e-commerce system or want a truly unique site, you can hire a web development company to design your site. While this is the more expensive option, you get what you pay for. If you choose the right company, you’ll get a designed to order e-commerce system and some search engine optimization. They can also provide information about online marketing and how to make your site successful.
Starting an e-commerce site is by no means an easy task, but it is a great idea. If done correctly, you can take your business to customers in different states, countries, or even continents! The door is in front of you, all you have to do is knock. Good luck with your online venture!
Discuss this article at ecommerceboards.com!Eric Friese owns custom-ecommerce.com and is President of Tiger Web Solutions. Eric Friese has been in the web development industry for 10 years. Eric can be reached through the Tiger Web Solutions web site.
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Best Ecommerce - 5 Easy Steps to Make More Money With Ecommerce

E-Commerce used to be entirely based upon three principles: developing a site, publishing it and then your site with search engines. All you had to do was simply sit and wait for customers to visit your site and buy your merchandise.
E-commerce has graduated to a more philanthropically diverse role in the entire spectrum of internet marketing. E-commerce is now intertwined with internet marketing as a whole and is now simply a subset. There are many forms of e-commerce available to any person selling goods or services: internet, television or even social networking means like YouTube, MySpace and others alike.
In order to take your spot on the e-commerce “wheel of fortune”, the following five easy steps can only help you to make more money with e-commerce than if you don’t follow them. These are by no means the only steps you can take to help in your quest, but, merely the most followed:
One. Develop traffic to your site using optimization tools, keywords, article submission
Two. Getting return traffic to your site through backlinking methods and things such as banner ads
Three. Making your site different and more appealing than your competitors
Four. Setting up affiliate marketing
Five. Promote your business effectively using ethical practices
There are many ways to make more money with e-commerce, but, one of the ways to make it profitable is to market your business using savvy techniques such as making your product sound unique as you need to make your site and product stand above the crowd.
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Raymond Nesa is an experienced web marketer specializing in article marketing, traffic generation, and list building.
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E-commerce Gets A Boost

A vast number (and an increasing proportion) of people have successfully started up an online e-commerce business. The software, training and backup are all easily, and relatively cheaply, available. But how expensive is the software and where can you go for the best platform or advice?
E-commerce is becoming one of the most successful internet business categories online today. As with everything, products and services need to constantly evolve and upgrade to meet demands and competition.
Microsoft’s programming language, the .NET Framework, has quickly become a hit with the E-commerce industry. The language lets programmers quickly write programs to connect, securitize, modify, and create E-commerce features or services. The ease of use, power, and security Microsoft can offer through this language has led it to become one of the leading E-commerce languages to program in.
Surprisingly, the language can be downloaded absolutely free - not bad at all. There are some 3rd party modifications that cost money, but aren’t required in making the next best E-commerce application. The integration of web service programming is what has made the language a hit- letting programmers program web services amazingly fast.
The .NET framework also has the capability of communicated with other languages, such as Visual C++ and Visual Basic. Overall, the language is rivaled by no other- both from its list of features and from its distribution as a free software from the good people at Microsoft. Prospective programmers will most likely be expected to learn the framework in the future, as it is rapidly growing and evolving.
The e-commerce business is set to continue its expansion in the coming years and the .NET framework will no doubt be of great benefit in this growth.
Eric Hartwell oversees "The World's Best Homepage" intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on e-commerce and online business and visit our associated site articles for free.
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Ecommerce Website Design. UK Firm Combining Creative Flair With Technical Expertise

The web has become an online high street in the last few years with UK consumers now happy to purchase all types of goods online. This change in consumer attitude has meant that businesses have had to drastically rethink their e-commerce strategies. We believe that e-commerce is a great supplement to your existing UK business or a viable platform to launch a new business.
We design e-commerce websites with a difference. Focusing on ease of use and presentation, Deckchair believes users of your site want to find products easily, see clear product photography and details before securely purchasing the goods with a credit card payment facility. Order tracking and account management are also standard features.
Designing E-commerce websites for the customer and the UK business owner The e-commerce website owner's experience should be painless and we design secure administration panels for our e-commerce solutions which make updating and adding to the site straightforward. This gives the UK e-commerce website owner ultimate control over their shop, allowing them to monitor sales and change predefined site elements.
Of course, once you have an e-commerce website, you need to drive people to it, from the UK or elsewhere. Deckchair can ensure that your site is tuned to the needs of UK search engines, including Google, so that you attract precisely the kind of visitors that you want. When you invest in search engine marketing, or any marketing designed to drive people to your site, it's essential that you extract as much value from each visitor as possible. If they don't buy on their first visit, make sure you're encouraging visitors to leave some contact details by offering a newsletter or free report.
http://www.deckchair.co.uk/ecommerce-webdesign.php
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Building an E-Commerce Site

E-commerce development is said to be the most effective and impressive way of economic growth in which information and communication works together to generate profitable results. This process has empowered the countries to spread their trade relations and strengthens a new direction of development and growth.
There is a variety of development technologies through which the potential companies get the most comprehensive range of e-commerce solutions to choose from. Therefore, it is important to partner with the company that holds the expertise, required essentials, and adequate facilities to serve the growing demands and requirements of the large, medium as well as small organizations throughout the world. With a diverse e-commerce development system, a company can generate better design and custom software development than earlier. Modern companies also facilitate the design and development of an entire e-commerce web site with a detailed database of products, product information and product search, order processing and payment systems, etc.
Adopting e-commerce solutions refers to adding lots of simplicity, timeliness, and marketing tools to make the system more applicable and useful. A fully automated e-commerce website needs to be really functional along with search engine friendliness and attractive web design to provide better results and money generating sustainability.
Following e-commerce development tips help you to make a really functional and workable website.
Suppliers - Suppliers are the most important people for constructing a good website. Without good suppliers you cannot offer products.
Price Point - An e-commerce website helps in better price comparison and customers can make an easy choice.
Customer Relations - Through a good e-commerce website, you can easily reach out to customers in many different ways such as e-mail, FAQs, knowledge bases, forums, chat rooms etc.
Result Matters - The aim of an e-commerce website is to provide ultimate fulfillment, returns, and customer service.
This article has been contributed by the webmaster of http://www.synapse.co.in - A renowned outsourcing company offering a wide range of services including offshore web application development, search engine marketing, outsource web development, outsourcing software development and ecommerce solutions in India.
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