What is e-commerce?

There is no globally accepted definition of ‘electronic commerce’ or ‘e-commerce’. However, the term is generally used to cover the ‘distribution, marketing, sale or delivery of goods and services by electronic means’. Nonetheless, electronic commerce can also be broadly defined to include any kind of transaction that is made using digital technology, including open networks (the Internet), closed networks such as electronic data interchange (EDI), and debit and credit cards. Transactions are not limited to purchases of goods and services, but move along a spectrum beginning with information gathering and exchange, progressing to negotiation and decision to purchase, and finally to completion of the transaction and after-sales support. Electronic commerce, in a generic sense, encompasses three main types of e-commerce, supported by the information technology infrastructure.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions