Somewhere deep in the murky mists of time it’s almost certain that two cavemen conducted an exchange of materials of one kind or other. Perhaps one of them traded a shaped rock for a club, or some meat for a spear. Whatever the transfer of ownership, the exchange represented the world’s first business transaction. Jump forward an eon or two and countless brick and mortar stores are dotting the planet, the end product of millenniums of successful business transaction evolution. Then, almost overnight the Internet came into being, along with it the introduction of Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) heralding a revolution in merchandising as startlingly new and innovative as that first troglodyte transfer.
E-Commerce is a general term that refers to the purchase and sale of any goods or services via electronic channels. Due to its 24-hour per day availability, potential global reach and ease of customer service E-Commerce is quickly becoming one of the premier marketing methods in use today. E-Commerce technology can be used by virtually any type of business, from consumer-based retail providers, to music download operations and from electronic banking services to the rapidly expanding electronic publishing industry. Firms embracing E-Commerce create (or have created for them) special websites that feature such tools as virtual shopping carts, catalogs of products and/or services and of course some means of online payment, typically by credit card. Unlike with a physical storefront any actual goods purchased have to be delivered via mail or courier, or downloaded if the purchased item is electronic such as software or a digital publication.
As a virtual marketing method E-Commerce requires no buildings, staff, utilities or other physical elements
The benefits of the E-Commerce business model are many. An E-Commerce business requires no physical building, inventory or staff. The potential client base for the business is global and the start-up costs are primarily limited to the development and hosting of the website. So is E-Commerce the right choice for your business? If you have a product line, or are the representative of someone else’s product line then it just might be. Catalog sales have been a fixture in Canada for more than a century. E-Commerce takes this time honored marketing approach and supercharges it for the digital age. If the idea of E-Commerce seems like a good fit for your business but don’t know where to start, Evolution Business Media Group includes virtual commerce as part of the marketing systems it custom tailors for its clients. If you’d like to explore this idea further please contact us and let’s see just how far your ideas can take you. It might possibly be to the other side of the world!
