Electronic Commerce
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Electronic Commerce is the
buying and selling of goods and services or the transfer of money over the
Internet or an Intranet. This can involve stores or banking
activities. Standards have been established to
make the process easier and more secure.
E-commerce is the main reason a large number of Web sites exist on the Web.
It has opened a whole new world for retailers, wholesalers, and other types
of marketers. Those vendors range from the big guys (i.e., K-Mart, Walmart)
to the smaller, lesser-known ones (i.e., individuals). In some cases, it
has even made a few people very wealthy. But, for the most part, it has
become another method of creating income, whether it be to make a living or
just a little pocket change.
Since it is different than the type of commerce most of us are used to, it
takes a new way of thinking to be successful. We need to understand how to
reach customers and how to keep them once we get them. According to
a report on eCommerce-Guide.com, two-thirds of
the U.S.'s adult Internet users are also online shoppers, corresponding to
about 134 million purchasers. In 2000, only about 47.8 percent of those
online had made a purchase, according to Washington, D.C.-based Pew.
Findings from the group's February study also indicates that about 78
percent of online Americans use the Internet to research a product or
service before making a purchase.
E-commerce is not slowing down. On the contrary, it is rapidly growing
around the world, making for a true global economy.
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Usable Shopping Carts
glasshaus
November 26, 2002
Creating a usable e-commerce application is a daunting challenge. There is so much to do, from the initial concept, through to designing and coding the application. This leaves a lot of scope for things to go wrong. The Chapter 3 excerpt introduces you to the concept of making wireframes of web site projects, and how to create them. The rest of this chapter looks at creating UI specs and prototypes.
Banner Ad Management Software
Charlie Morris
December 13, 2000
There is strong demand both for outsourced ad management and for
software solutions that can be run in-house by publishers. Most
of the top-end ad management outfits now offer both options.
Let your business model be your guide
Charlie Morris
April 24, 2000
Whether to sell products, services, ads, or simply to deliver
information, websites exist for different purposes. The right and
wrong way to do all these things depends on your business model.
Join Charlie Morris for a run-down on using your business model
to build a better website!
They're lookin, but they ain't buyin!
The process by which a person buys a product or service is a long
and complex one: people hear about available products, gather
information about competing products, compare that information,
make a decision about what to buy, and finally - oh, joy! - they click
that order button. In previous articles, we've discussed several steps
of the buying process, from the standpoint of an online merchant or
an online marketer. In this one, we're going to look at the final step -
actually placing an order.
Designing Winning Ad Banners
For your online ad campaign to be succesful, you need attractive, appropriate, attention-getting banners. In this tutorial, we explain how to design banners using graphic tools like Photoshop or Paintshop Pro. We'll spice things up by using animated GIFs, and rich media like Java, Shockwave and HTML banners.
Accepting Credit Cards: Getting a Merchant Account
Today's Web developer needs to have a thorough knowledge of how to build commerce-enabled Web sites. One of the most mysterious areas is the process of setting up a Web-enabled credit card merchant account. The gold rush of e-commerce has spawned hordes of pick-and-shovel peddlers. In this article, we explain how a credit card merchant account works, with a few hints on creating good order forms and choosing a payment processing system.
Electronic Commerce Resource Sites
the Electronic Commerce Guide If you want to stay on top of the latest trends, tips and technical aspects of e-commerce, this is the place to start!
Payment mechanisms designed for the Internet is a list of resources about
electronic commerce systems and software.
Commerce lists numerous resources about E-Commerce including;
Digital Cash, Network Payment, and Online Banking as well as
Internet Commerce Protocols and Standards and
Marketing & Advertising resources.
Electronic Money
is a list of links provided by Roy Davies. Here you
will find FAQs about E-money, payment systems and links to numerous articles.
Privacy/Online Commerce - Digital Money & Transactions contains links to
articles on electronic privacy and digital money.
Magazines
Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce is an Internet publication
that maintains articles and editorials on Internet banking and commerce.
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