Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce  or eCommerce, is a type of industry where the buying and selling of products or services is conducted over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks.

2. 
Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce
or eCommerce, is a type of industry where the buying and selling
of products or services is conducted over electronic systems such
as the Internet and other computer networks.

Electronic commerce draws on 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.

Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide
Web at least at one point in the transaction's life-cycle, although it
may encompass a wider range of technologies such as email, mobile devices, social media, and telephones as well.

4. 
E-tailing or "virtual storefronts" on websites with online catalogs,
sometimes gathered into a "virtual mall“

Buying or Selling on various websites and/or online marketplaces

The gathering and use of demographic data through Web contacts
and social media

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), the business-to-business
exchange of data

E-mail and fax and their use as media for reaching prospective
and established customers (for example, with newsletters)

Business-to-business buying and selling

6. 
Visa/MasterCard has published their definition of an electronic
commerce transaction to include "...a transaction conducted over
the Internet or other network using a cardholder access device,
such as a personal computer or terminal,“

When a cardholder enters credit card information into a form or
shopping cart at a merchant's website, this is an electronic
transaction. The cardholder initiated the transaction by entering
card data and transmitting it to the merchant over the Internet.

If the cardholder sends an order request and the credit card
information to the merchant in an eMail, this too, is considered an
electronic commerce transaction, as the cardholder initiated the
transaction by entering card data and transmitting it to the
merchant over an electronic network.

8. 
If a cardholder visits a merchant's website for product
information, and does not transmit an order over the
Internet, but instead sends the order to the merchant by fax
[or telephone or mail] this is considered a mail/telephone
transaction because the cardholder did not use a PC or
transmit the information over the Internet.

An electronic commerce merchant receives an order via
phone or fax. The merchant enters the transaction
information into its system to obtain authorization and to
process the transaction. This is a mail/telephone order
transaction. The cardholder initiated the transaction via
phone or fax.

10. Some common applications related to e-commerce are the following:
 Document automation in supply chain and logistics
 Domestic and international Payment systems
 Enterprise content management
 Group buying
 Automated online assistants
 Instant messaging
 Newsgroups
 Online shopping and order tracking
 Online banking
 Online office suites
 Shopping cart software
 Teleconferencing
 Electronic tickets
 Social-networking