Compaq iPAQ IA-1, Quick Start Manual

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6-2 O
NLINE
S
HOPPING
H
OME
I
NTERNET
A
PPLIANCE
–G
ETTING
S
TARTED
E-Commerce
E-commerce (electronic
commerce or EC) is the
buying and selling of goods
and services on the
Internet, especially on the
World Wide Web.
In practice, this term and a
another new term,
e-business , are often used
interchangeably. For online
retail selling, the term
e-tailing is sometimes used.
E-Commerce
What Is E-Commerce?
E-commerce can be divided into:
➜ E-tailing or virtual storefronts on Web sites with online
catalogs. Sometimes these are all gathered into a virtual
mall.
➜ The gathering and use of demographic data through Web
contacts
➜
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), the
business-to-business exchange of data
➜ E-mail and fax and their use as media for reaching
prospects and established customers (for example, with
newsletters)
➜ Business-to-business buying and selling
➜
The security of business transactions