Before we define e-commerce, let's define commerce. Commerce is defined by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as: the exchange or buying and selling of commodities on a large scale involving transportation from place to place. In a nutshell, commerce is simply the exchange of goods or services for money.

Commerce tends to be made up of three factions: buyers, sellers, and producers. Buyers are those who purchase goods or services. Sellers are the ones selling these goods or services, and producers make the goods and services that the sellers sell. That being said, commerce is one of the most fundamental interactions between humans. Everyone buys or sells something on a normal basis and thus participate in commerce.

So then, what is e-commerce? E-commerce is simply commerce that takes place on the Internet. Some of the best examples would be to look at online book retailers (Amazon.com), computer retailers (Dell), and airline tickets (Southwest Airlines). All of these examples have very large e-commerce web sites. E-commerce is made up of the same factions and components that make up commerce; there are buyers, sellers, and producers. E-commerce involves all the same aspects of regular commerce, but it takes place on the Internet.

A regular commerce transaction typically takes place with us walking into a store and purchasing an item. E-commerce involves us going to a web site to purchase an item. The item is then usually shipped to us.

Items Needed for e-commerce:

Now that we know e-commerce is just commerce that happens on the internet, what do we need to create and run a store on the internet? Really it is very simple. Getting an e-commerce site up and running is not rocket science, but it does take a little creative thinking. In order to do e-commerce you will need to have or do the following things:

1. Get a Domain Name.
   A domain name is the unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain names can be ordered through Webolution LLC. To see if a domain name is available for you and to order one click here.



2. Build a Web Site.
   A web site is a collection of hypertext markup language (HTML) files, graphic files and any other file types that are supported by the World Wide Web that can be viewed by using a World Wide Web browser. Building a Website can be a rewarding process. It is fun to create something from scratch. If building a site is not your thing, Webolution LLC can do it for you. Alternatively, you can use the Shopping Cart in section 3 as your website instead. Here is a demo of an online store you can look at to get a better feel of what we mean.



3. Shopping Cart.
   Typically an e-commerce site has a shopping cart. Webolution LLC includes a shopping cart and a backend database for control of shopping and inventory on all e-commerce packages. Click here to view things Webolution LLC includes with their e-commerce packages.



4. Find a Web Host.
   Hosting (also known as web site hosting, web page hosting, and web hosting) is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more web sites. More important than the computer space that is provided for web site files is the fast connection to the Internet. Most hosting services offer connections on T-carrier system lines. Typically, an individual business hosting its own site will require a similar connection and it will be expensive. Using a hosting service allows your company or organization to share the cost of a fast Internet connection for serving files with other companies or organizations wanting to do the same thing. Finding the right Host is important for your business. Webolution LLC has many hosting packages for e-commerce. To find the best package to meet your needs click here.



5. Security (Secure Socket Layer Encryption).
   For an e-commerce site, security is essential. Your customers need to know that you are who you say you are. Once the identity of the server has been verified the browser will open a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) session with the server. SSL encryption is the methodology that is used to encrypt information transfers from the user's browser to the server with which the SSL session has been established. The browser encrypts the communication and the server deciphers the information. Internet browsers can enter into secure communications at either 128-bit SSL encryption or 40-bit SSL encryption. 128-bit SSL encryption provides a higher degree of protection than 40-bit. Standard issue browsers are still 40-bit browsers but can be easily upgraded. SSL encryption is achieved by purchasing a SSL Certificate. You can purchase your SSL certificates from Webolution LLC by clicking here.



6. Accept Payments.
   The ability to accept payments is critical for an e-commerce site. There are many ways this can be done, from accepting electronic checks or paypal to accepting credit cards through an online merchant account. For your convenience the shopping cart provided by Webolution LLC includes all the necessary modules for online payment.



7. Promote Your Site!
   There are many ways to promote your site. This takes a little research and a lot of creativity.