what is e commerce

E-commerce, short for electronic commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services over the internet. It involves conducting commercial transactions electronically, using technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. E-commerce can be conducted over computers, tablets, smartphones, and other smart devices. It can be a substitute for brick-and-mortar stores, though some businesses choose to maintain both. E-commerce operates in several market segments and can be conducted as business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), consumer-to-consumer, or consumer-to-business. Almost anything can be purchased through e-commerce today, including books, music, plane tickets, and financial services such as stock investing and online banking. E-commerce is the largest sector of the electronics industry and is driven by the technological advances of the semiconductor industry.