"e-Commerce services are the silver bullet that will enable companies to take advantage of the true business opportunities on the Web." - Traci Gere, Analyst, The New York Times

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.

e-Commerce application will typically involve one or more of the following activities:

• On-Line Store
  The obvious requirement is an on-line store, or commerce-enabled web site where goods or services can be described and selected.
  
  
• Payment Processing
  While it is possible to run an on-line store without accepting on-line payments, this is cumbersome and rarely successful. Accepting on-line payments is therefore essential - and at the moment this means credit cards.
  
  
• Shipping/Order Fulfillment
  OK, so you've made your sale and now you've got to deliver the goods. Just package them up and ship them off. But what happens if you get dozens or hundreds of orders a day?
  
  
• Customer Service
  Support, Complaints, Returns - the biggest complaint about e-Commerce is the poor level of customer service in the event of problems.
  
  
• Promotion
  The big one! Even if you do everything else right, without successful promotion your on-line business will fail

One would be tempted to ask why pay attention to eCommerce in the era of dot.com failures? Well, inspite of the failure of dot.com companies, almost all the surviving internet companies have grown and become profitable. Additionally, many traditional companies have recognized the potential of the Internet and have accepted it as a valid channel for conducting business. Infact, most of the eCommerce applications do not simply enable consumers to buy and sell goods and services, but also, make utility and insurance payments, read books, download music (legally), and yes, even vote!

Our concept of eCommerce encompasses simple to complex web stores, electronic payment facilities, billing and configuration applications, and even enterprise applications - all using, yes, the Internet.

For more information about our e-Commerce services, please contact us at
e-commerce@cybervalley-solutions.com