The fast pace of the modern and digitally enabled world has put the internet at the centre of human interaction. Many transactions take place using the internet as companies and businesses have adapted to the World Wide Web for selling their products and services at the speed of light. Ecommerce simply means the buying and selling of products online. Crossing geographical boundaries and time zones, it is a continuous and constant medium for buying and selling worldwide.

 
Over view of the Ecommerce framework for the marketer who wants to market any product or service through the internet need to adopt the following strategies process.

 
The ecommerce strategy process is composed of six parts
• Frame the market opportunities
• Delivering the business model
• Customer interface
• Market opportunities an trending
• Implementation
• evaluation
The strategy process rests on two key platforms,
• The network infrastructure that makes the internet possible (an internet based marketing strategy)
• The convergence of alternative form of media (bringing togather the different form of media)

By that we mean there is now a digital conversion between the Traditional media infrastructure and the new Network infrastructures. Traditional media infrastructure includes - Print media, TV, Motion pictures, Music, Radio are now been converted digitally by the Networking infrastructure which involves things like Cabling, Broadcast radio, Seattleite technology, Wireless technology. These all have got together to make new technologies into new media

 
The Internet
• The internet upon which the conduct of ecommerce is based is transforming the world’s economy.
• The internet is changing people how they live, work, play and consume
• Technology is at the centre of ecommerce revolution, resulting in the dynamic change in the interface between the customer and firm
• The internet changes the way businesses should sensibly organize their activities and go to market
• The internet effects all economic activity
• Every country is simultaneously vulnerable and empowered by the new economy

What is Ecommerce?

Ecommerce is characterized by several attributes such as
• Ecommerce is about exchange of digital information between parties
• Exchange can be between organizations, individuals or both
• Ecommerce is technology enable
• Transactions are being managed in the ecommerce by using technology
• Making transactions through the use of internet browsers in the World Wide Web, is the best known example of technology enabled customer interfaces
• Transaction in the Marketplace are managed or modified largely by technology
• The place where buyers and sellers meet to transact is moving from the physical world “marketplace” to the virtual world “market space”

Types of Ecommerce
Business to business (B2B)
All the participants are business or other organizations
Business to Consumers (B2C)
The businesses sell their products to consumers (Individual shoppers)
Business to business-consumer (B2B2C)
A business provides some services to a client business

The clients business maintains its own customers, to whom the service is finally provided

Consumer to Business (C2B)
Individual can sell products or provide services through internet to organizations

Consumer to consumer (C2C)
An individual can sell product or services directly to other individual
Mobile Commerce  (M commerce)
Ecommerce in a wireless mobile environment

 
Benefits of Ecommerce
• Can expand the marketplace beyond geographical boundaries
• Reduce over heads of paper-based information processing
• Lower communication costs
• Allows reduced inventories and overheads

 
Ecommerce has demonstrated that it has a global reach, and given a B2B and B2C interaction a great impetus. As ecommerce has developed rapidly, it has opened up the scope for businesses to develop rapidly and has narrowed down the barriers that existed previously between different countries and societies worldwide. Ecommerce solutions enable ecommerce websites to enhance the profile and corporate image of companies, while making it profitable for them to operate their business online.

 
Ecommerce solutions provide various tools to websites to enhance their visibility online and attract more customers to generate more conversions. At the same time, it is easier for businesses to provide seamless shopping experience to customers, right from purchasing the product to making the payment and finally obtaining the delivery. Yet another dimension is to provide solutions to bring customers to the site and make them return for additional purchases. The ultimate aim is to help the company genuinely make profits while providing the ultimate shopping satisfaction to customers.

 
As living standards are improving around the world, the way people buy is also changing. The internet provides a brilliant medium of channeling the buyer to the supplier and vice-versa. Ecommerce solutions provide a smooth way to facilitate such transactions and make the world of ecommerce better for the benefit of society.