Electronic commerce (e-commerce) involves the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet. It includes business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) transactions. E-commerce has grown significantly since the 1990s with the rise of the internet and World Wide Web. It provides benefits like lower costs, greater convenience, and access to a global market, but also limitations such as the inability to physically examine products. Emerging models include mobile commerce, online marketplaces, and social commerce.