E-commerce
E-commerce describes trade through digital ordering channels. Payment and delivery need not take place online as well.
Separating digital ordering from the rest of the process
E-commerce, or electronic commerce, covers buying and selling goods or services through digital ordering methods. Examples include online shops, ordering functions in apps or electronic data exchange set up for ordering between businesses. Under the OECD definition, the ordering method is decisive; payment and final delivery need not take place online. The term can cover both trade between businesses and sales to individual consumers.
At a fictional spare-parts retailer, a customer orders a power supply through the online shop. Payment follows later by bank transfer, and the goods arrive as a parcel. The digital ordering channel makes this e-commerce, although neither the physical product nor its delivery is digital. If another page only displays the catalogue and accepts a callback request, it has not yet recorded a digital order. Software planning would need to establish which function actually accepts orders and how ordering, payment and shipping connect as separate steps.
Sources
Related terms
- B2B commerceB2B commerce is trade between businesses. Digital workflows need to connect the company, ordering person and applicable terms correctly.
- B2C commerceB2C commerce is a business selling to individual consumers. The term describes the buyer relationship, not a particular shop technology.
- Direct-to-consumerD2C is a brand’s direct sale to consumers. Shop and ERP integrations must distinguish sales channel, customer type and access rules.
- Product variantA product variant is a particular version of a product. Its attributes must remain consistent across selection, pricing, stock and ordering.
- Delivery capabilityDelivery capability describes whether a specific request can be fulfilled. A stock value alone does not fully answer questions of quantity, destination and time.
- Order historyOrder history shows previous orders within an agreed account scope. Old prices, current availability and current processing remain separate information.
Articles on this topic
E-Commerce with ASES
Online shops, marketplaces and B2B portals