Historical Development of Electronic Commerce

Historical Development of Electronic Commerce
Word Count:
291
Summary:
The meaning of the term "electronic commerce" has changed over time.

Keywords:
ECommerce, advertising, marketing, online business, promotion

Article Body:
The meaning of the term "electronic commerce" has changed over time. Originally, "electronic commerce" meant the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, usually using technology like Electronic Data Interchange (EDI, introduced in the late 1970s) to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices electronically.
Later it came to include activities more precisely termed "Web commerce" -- the purchase of goods and services over the World Wide Web via secure servers (note HTTPS, a special server protocol which encrypts confidential ordering data for customer protection) with e-shopping carts and with electronic pay services, like credit card payment authorizations.
When the Web first became well-known among the general public in 1994, many journalists and pundits forecast that e-commerce would soon become a major economic sector. However, it took about four years for security protocols (like HTTPS) to become sufficiently developed and widely deployed (during the browser wars of this period). Subsequently, between 1998 and 2000, a substantial number of businesses in the United States and Western Europe developed rudimentary Web sites.
Although a large number of "pure e-commerce" companies disappeared during the dot-com collapse in 2000 and 2001, many "brick-and-mortar" retailers recognized that such companies had identified valuable niche markets and began to add e-commerce capabilities to their Web sites. For example, after the collapse of online grocer Webvan, two traditional supermarket chains, Albertsons and Safeway, both started e-commerce subsidiaries through which consumers could order groceries online.
As of 2005, e-commerce has become well-established in major cities across much of North America, Western Europe, and certain East Asian countries like South Korea. However, e-commerce is still emerging slowly in some industrialized countries, and is practically nonexistent in many Third World countries.
Electronic commerce has unlimited potential for both developed and developing nations, offering lucrative profits in a highly unregulated environment.

5 ways how to be successful by selling online

5 ways how to be successful by selling online
Word Count:
508
Summary:
Are you selling online? You are maybe looking for some solutions how to succeed in your business. There are several ways how to get more clients and earn more money. In this article I will introduce you some of them.

Keywords:
promotion, sell, online

Article Body:
Are you selling online? You are maybe looking for some solutions how to succeed in your business. There are several ways how to get more clients and earn more money. In this article I will introduce you some of them.
1. Affiliate marketing:
Affiliate marketing consist in relationship between web site owners and merchant. Web site owners put merchants advertisement (usually text link or banner) on their page and merchant pays commission from each deal to the site owner. The advantage of this promotion method is the fact that you can never loose your money for inefficient advertising because you pay only in case you earn some money. If you want to start your own affiliate program you can buy one of many available scripts or use some of affiliate networks like Link Share or Commission Junction.
2. Search engine optimization (SEO):
Search engine optimization is one of the most effective (and one of the hardest) ways how to get the large number of very good targeted customers. If you are a search engine optimization specialist, make a SEO analysis and optimize your web site for some effective keywords. If you know nothing about SEO try to find some basic information on Internet and optimize for easy keywords or hire some SEO company. The advantage of search engine optimization is the fact that you get the visitors who want to buy the goods (or services) which you offer. The disadvantage is the long time necessary for successful optimization.
3. Pay per click (PPC):
There are several search engines offering pay per click program. Advertiser choose the keyword and the bid. If the visitor search for this keyword, advertisements targeted for this keyword are displayed. If more advertisers select the same keyword the advertisements are sorted by the bid (except google AdWords, there the advertisement position depends on the bid and click rate). The big advantage of pay per click system is the fact that you can start your campaign during a few minutes.
4. Banner exchanges:
You include a HTML code to your web site and each time somebody visits the site where the HTML code is placed a banner will be displayed and you get some credits (usually 1/2 - 1 credit depending on the exchange ratio). For each credit you "earn" your banner will be displayed on another banner exchange members page. This type of promotion is good for branding but it will increase your traffic just about 0,1 - 1 % only (depending on click rate of your banner) so always combine this method with another strategies.
5. Promotional coupon codes:
Everybody is happy for a free gift or some discount and a lot of online marketers take advantage of this fact. So why don't make your customers happy too? There are many promotional coupon code directories on Internet. Put your coupon code to most of these web sites. Try combination of promotional coupon codes strategy and affiliate marketing. Give away to your publishers promo codes or special affiliate link. If the visitor click this link he gets some discount, free gift, free shipping or another benefits.