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What
exactly is E-Commerce?
E-Commerce, or Electronic Commerce, is a general
term for any type of business, or commercial
transaction, that involves the transfer of
information across the Internet. This covers a range
of different types of businesses, from
consumer-based retail sites like Amazon.com, through
auction and music sites like eBay or MP3.com, to
business exchanges trading goods or services between
corporations.
Electronic Commerce has expanded rapidly over the
past five years and this growth is forecast to
continue or even accelerate. It is likely that in
the future the boundaries between
"conventional" and "electronic"
commerce will become increasingly blurred as more
and more businesses move parts of their operation
onto the Internet.
What do I Need to Start an E-Commerce Site?
First of all, you obviously need a product or
service to sell. Then you need a Web site. This can
either be an existing Website to which you can add
E-Commerce capabilities, or you can build the site
from scratch. Next you need some way of accepting
on-line payments. This normally means credit cards,
although there are other options for very small or
low-volume sites. Lastly, but most importantly, you
need to have a strategy for marketing your site and
attracting customers. This is far harder than you
might think.
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