At its heart, eCommerce is simply the selling or buying of services or products using the Internet or computerized networks. Today, eCommerce has grown tremendously, mainly due to the enormous popularity of the Internet. Other developments like electronic fund transfers, internet marketing, supply chain management, online transaction process, inventory management systems, electronic data interchange and automated data collections have increased the ability of the consumer to make many of their purchases online.
Originally used solely for business-to-business transactions, eCommerce was originally developed in the early 1970’s. As ATM’s, credit cards and even telephone banking increased in popularity, eCommerce began to focus on the common consumer. Today, it is possible to purchase everything from cars to jewelry from the comfort of your home.
When retail stores decide to go to market with their merchandise, they use traditional methods such as advertising, branding and PR. Similar strategies can be applied in online retail marketing. The internet provides robust opportunities for retail stores and merchants to promote their stuff.