Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or ecommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over the internet.
The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread internet usage. While ecommerce has, in the past, utilized specialized funds transfer networks, today the term ecommerce typically refers to transactions conducted using the World Wide Web.
Electronic commerce can be related to products that are entirely digital such as access to premium content on a website or music downloads, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way.
Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses is referred to as business-to-business or B2B. Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses and consumers is referred to as business-to-consumer or B2C.
- "Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: Rules of the Road". Federal Trade Commission. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/ruleroad.shtm.
- "Enforcing Privacy Promises: Section 5 of the FTC Act". Federal Trade Commission. http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/privacyinitiatives/promises.html.