1. A customer accesses a Web site's catalog to shop for a desired product or service.
2. The customer places the order, and payment information is requested.
3. The merchant's software delivers credit card information to an authorization server.
4. Funds are transferred from the customer's account to the merchant.
5. A tracking number is generated
6. The tracking number is sent to the customer to confirm that the shipment is in progress.

You have the perfect idea for an e-commerce business. Maybe you have invented the next must-have gadget, or perhaps you perform a unique service that no one else in your area offers. Whatever your idea may be, you need an e-commerce site. But you should review the basics before you start building your site or hire someone else to do it for you. The design, often called the customer interfac and the shopping cart. The design or customer interface defines how the overall site will look and how an online shopper interacts with it. It includes organizational structure, layout, font choices, graphics, and color schemes. A clean, easy-to-use design is very important to the success of your site, but that is only half the story because you also need a solid shopping cart.
The shopping cart is the engine behind the e-commerce site. It is a robust database that stores information about your products that includes everything from photos to inventory. There are many different types of shopping carts that offer varying functionality. Some are stand-alone units and can be managed through a web browser interface, while others are more complex and can interact with database programs like MySQL. All of them handle order processing and work with payment processing services. Some shopping cart solutions are sold with web site design packages for a one-time price, or you can choose a cart that offers monthly billing. If you have a technical background you can also build your own transaction system using popular web tools.

There are a lot of options and it is easier than it seems. You do not need to be an expert programmer or JavaScript guru to get your e-commerce site up and running. You just need to find the right web design expert to meet your needs. If you are not technically minded, working with a web design and programming firm to build your e-commerce site is a great idea. You will get a great website and you will get to focus on what matters most: your business. There are many web design companies that specialize in building e-commerce sites. Before you contact any of them, do a little research. Make a list of your favorite online stores and jot down some notes about each one.

1. What do you like about these sites?
2. Are they easy to navigate? Do they have powerful search features?
3. Are there design elements that appeal to you?

Having a clear vision of what you want your site to look like and how it should function will speed up the build process tremendously.

With the advent of the Internet, the term e-commerce began to include:

1. Electronic trading of physical goods and of intangibles such as information.
2. All the steps involved in trade, such as on-line marketing, ordering payment and support for delivery.
3. The electronic provision of services such as after sales support or on-line legal advice.
4. Electronic support for collaboration between companies such as collaborative on-line design and engineering or virtual business consultancy teams.