Internet Retailers
Online retailing is a form of electronic commerce whereby consumers directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet without an intermediary. An online shop, eshop, e-store, Internet shop, webshop, webstore, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or shopping center. The process is called business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping. When a business buys from another business it is called business-to-business (B2B) online shopping. The largest online retailing corporations are eBay and Amazon.com, both of which are US-based .
Amazon.com Headquarters
This is the headquarters of Amazon.com, the largest online retailer in the world.
The Process of Shopping Online
Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the retailer directly or by searching among alternative vendors using a shopping search engine. Once a particular product has been found on the web site of the seller, most online retailers use shopping cart software to allow the consumer to accumulate multiple items and to adjust quantities, much similar to the process of filling a physical shopping cart or basket in a conventional store. A "checkout" process follows (continuing the physical-store analogy) in which payment and delivery information is collected, if necessary.
Some stores allow consumers to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. The consumer often receives an e-mail confirmation once the transaction is complete. Less sophisticated stores may rely on consumers to phone or e-mail their orders (though credit card numbers are not accepted by e-mail, for security reasons). Online shoppers commonly use a credit card to make payments, but some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as: billing to mobile phones and landlines, cash on delivery (or C.O.D., which is offered by very few online stores), checks, and wire transfers.
The Methods of Delivery
Once a payment has been accepted, the goods or services can be delivered in the following ways:
Downloading: This method is often used for digital media products such as software, music, movies, or images.
Drop shipping: The order is passed to the manufacturer or third-party distributor, who ships the item directly to the consumer, bypassing the retailer's physical location to save time, money, and space.
In-store pickup: The customer orders online, finds the closest local store using locator software and picks the product up there. This method is often used in the bricks and clicks business model.
Printing out, provision of a code for, or emailing of such items as admission tickets and scrip (e.g., gift certificates and coupons): The tickets, codes, or coupons may be redeemed at the appropriate physical or online premises and their content reviewed to verify their eligility (e.g., assurances that the right of admission or use is redeemed at the correct time and place, for the correct dollar amount, and for the correct number of uses).
Shipping: The product is shipped to the customer's address or that of a customer-designated third party.
Will call, in care of box office (ICOBO), or "at the door" pickup: The patron picks up pre-purchased tickets for an event, such as a play, sporting event, or concert, either just before the event or in advance. With the onset of the Internet and e-commerce sites, which allow customers to buy tickets online, the popularity of this service has increased.