For years, businesses that utilize an eCommerce website have the ability to handle the process of purchasing goods and services completely online.  Web developers have incorporated secure transmission techniques so that credit card information is kept safe.  It affords incredible reach and when compared with brick and mortar storefronts, is very affordable to run.

This article is written for those who are new to the concepts of eCommerce.  We will take you through the process of an eCommerce sale.

The typical process of placing an order on an ECommerce website: 

1. First, the customer browses the site to find the product you would like to buy. 
2. The customer then adds the item to the "shopping cart".  The shopping cart is a virtual holding area for your products. 
3. When the customer is ready to check out, the shopping cart shows it's contents, and the customer has the ability to add and drop items. 
4. Next, the customer enters their name and address information. 
5. And lastly, the customer enters their credit card information.

In some cases, the eCommerce site asks the customer to create a user account.  This is typically used for eCommerce sites where there are alot of return customers that could benefit from an account so that they don't have to re-enter their information again. 

An eCommerce purchase is considered a "card not present" credit card transaction.  This is because the customer is not physically presenting a card to the retailer and running the card through a machine.  As of this writing, eCommerce sales today account for approximately 100 billion dollars per year in the U.S. alone.  This accounts for approximately 2.6% of retail sales and climbing.  (according to numbers from The US Census).  This tells me that real business growth is happening in the form of eCommerce businesses.

Typically the eCommerce retailer will send you a confirmation email regarding the order.  The retailer will ship your products and you will recieve the item(s) in the mail.