e-Commerce/e-Business

When the Internet became widely available, it brought about a revolution. Not only did it affect our communication means, but it also changed the way we did business. It became possible to establish a business without the need to have a physical outlet for your customers to visit.

E-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet. In practice, this term and a newer term, e-business, are often used interchangeably. In actuality, both terms share similarities, but e-Business designates more than e-Commerce.

E-business (electronic business) is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling, like is the case for e-Commerce, but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. The word was first introduced in October 1997, when IBM launched a thematic campaign built around it.

The diagram below depicts the differences between e-Commerce and e-Business.