E-commerce Glossary - E

E-business

A business strategy utilizing the Internet as its communications medium.

E-cash

A trial form of electronic funds transfer over the Internet (and soon by e-mail). The e-cash software stores digital money, signed by a bank, on the user's local computer. The user can spend the digital money at any shop accepting e-cash, without the trouble of having to open an account there first, or having to transmit credit card numbers. The shop just has to accept the money, and deposit it at the bank. The security is provided by a public key digital signature.

E-Check

An E-Check is a form of payment that deducts funds directly from your own standard checking account. eCheck services are usually managed by third party companies that interface with a number of different banks. An echeck provides a more fraud resistant option in terms of ecommerce transactions

E-commerce

The conducting of business communication and transactions over networks and through computers. As most restrictively defined, electronic commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through digital communications. However eCommerce also includes all inter-company and intra-company functions (such as marketing, finance, manufacturing, selling, and negotiation) that enable commerce and use electronic mail, EDI, file transfer, fax, video conferencing, workflow, or interaction with a remote computer.

EDC (electronic data capture)

The use of a POS terminal for validating and submitting credit card transactions to a merchant account provider or other credit card processor. In online credit card processing, software takes the place of the POS terminal.

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

This is the business to business (b2b) flow of information between companies or within a company itself. The 90's saw the concept of information equaling power. Whatever creates power also generates money and therefore creates new enterprises to supply this information.

EFT (electronic funds transfer)

Transfer of money initiated through electronic terminal, automated teller machine, computer, telephone, or magnetic tape. In the late 1990s, this increasingly includes transfer initiated via the Web. The term also applies to credit card and automated bill payments.

Electronic Commerce

Buying and selling over the Internet; usually abbreviated to e-Commerce.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

Technology that transfers funds from the bank account of one person or organization to that of another.

Electronic Software Distribution

Software that can be purchased and downloaded directly from the internet.

E-mail Autoresponders/Lists

An auto-responder will send a standard response e-mail message (based on a text file you specify) to anyone who sends an e-mail to a specific e-mail address (which you specify) at your domain.

E-mail (electronic mail)

A communication system that allows you to send text, files and/or graphical messages over the Internet.

E-mail Address

The name of somebody's personal electronic mailbox on the Internet. An e-mail address usually consists of the mailbox name followed by the '@' symbol ('at') and then the domain name of the server on which the electronic mailbox is held. For example, me@networksolutions.com.

Electronic Marketplace

A company, service provider or association that brings together buyers and sellers in one virtual place, where participants can reduce costs and reach new customers.

EMC (export management company)

A firm that provides exporting services to other firms. The export management firm will either take title to act as an intermediary merchant or provide export management services in exchange for fees or a commission.

Encryption

Process of transforming data into a type that prevents casual observers from deciphering.

Electronic Procurement

Using the Internet or other electronic vehicles for purchasing functions.

Estore

Advanced eCommerce strategy more effective in the Semantic Web. Also known as a Cyberstore. Can be used in the Internet like a business chain.

E-tail

These are mainly "virtual" storefronts which act as a catalogue of products of merchants and usually include a "shopping cart" system to enable consumers to purchase online with the use of credit cards.

Ethernet

A local-area network (LAN) protocol developed by Xerox Corporation in cooperation with DEC and Intel in 1976. Ethernet uses a bus or star topology and supports data transfer rates of 10 Mbps. It is one of the most widely implemented LAN standards. A newer version of Ethernet, called 100Base-T (or Fast Ethernet), supports data transfer rates of 100 Mbps. And the newest version, Gigabit Ethernet supports data rates of 1 gigabit (1,000 megabits) per second.

Export License

Permission granted to ship a product to a foreign recipient. In the United States, export licenses are either general licenses or IVLs (individual validated licenses).

Extranet

An extension of a company's intranet out onto the Internet, e.g. to allow selected customers, suppliers and mobile workers to access the company's private data and applications via the World Wide Web.

E-Zine

Term used to denote Internet based newsletters or magazines.