E-commerce, which stands for Electronic Commerce, is a fast growing industry in all fields and has become quite popular over time. E-commerce refers to the act of electronically trading or purchasing of goods over the Internet or via online services. The market for e-commerce grew rapidly in India, as people realized that it offered a hassle free way of doing transactions and saving time and money. With the advent of Internet, e-commerce also became very easy to do.

E-commerce has now reached almost every household in India with a variety of options for its commercialization. E-commerce has brought a new dimension to the traditional retail business, as it enables small businessmen to take their products online for selling directly to the potential customers. It has enabled people from all walks of life to set up a business and earn money. The Internet has brought many benefits for the users, who have embraced the concept of electronic commerce.

E-commerce has helped businesses in several ways. It provides customers and buyers with a hassle-free means of buying and selling goods online. E-commerce has brought a completely new dimension to the business-to-business commerce and introduced the concept of social media marketing.

Social media marketing, as it is commonly known, is a technique used by businesses to advertise their products online, without spending thousands of dollars for traditional marketing campaigns. It enables you to build your own fan base so that when someone searches for the product and you are included in the search, you will be seen as an ideal candidate to sell the products online. This can help you in driving more traffic and building a database of potential customers who you can approach for further business.

E-commerce has increased the opportunities for sales and provided a platform which allows the seller to accept payment through various methods. Credit cards are the most common form of payment online but it does not provide customers with the ease of buying. E-commerce solutions have made it possible for people to buy products using their credit cards right from the comfort of their homes. E-commerce sites enable customers to buy products from the comfort of their desk while sitting in any corner of the world. This convenience has encouraged people to shop online.

In e-commerce, customers purchase goods either through bidding or buying on auction sites. Payment can also be made using PayPal, Moneybookers, and other such secure payment options. In auction sites, customers can browse through a catalogue of products and choose the one they want to buy. Payment is done in kind and is based on the rate of the bid. If the product is purchased at a higher price, the seller will cover the difference between the bid and the actual cost. This is one of the most common uses of e-commerce and is widely used to sell products.

One can also sell information through online stores. Customers can search for products by keywords and view the available options. If there is a product that matches the keyword given, customers can view the details about it and make purchases. Selling information like this is a great way for people to earn extra money online and can be very lucrative.

E-commerce has revolutionized how people do their shopping and has given them more choices and flexibility. Online stores are known to sell some of the most diverse products and this has made customers gravitate towards them. E-commerce has enabled people to work from home and have complete control over their business because they can operate it from anywhere in the world. These benefits have made online shopping all the more popular.