E-commerce (short for electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of goods or services over the internet — basically, online shopping in all its forms.

The term took off in the 1990s with the rise of the web. It started with simple online bookstores (like the early Amazon), and now includes everything from virtual supermarkets to digital art markets, subscription boxes, and B2B platforms. If you’ve ever bought shoes online, booked a course through a website, or sold something on Mercado Libre, you’ve participated in e-commerce.

There are several types: B2C (business to consumer, like a clothing brand selling to you), B2B (business to business, like a supplier selling parts to a factory), C2C (consumer to consumer, like someone selling used stuff on eBay), and even D2C (direct to consumer, where brands skip the middleman).

E-commerce runs on websites, payment gateways, inventory systems, and a browsable online catalog. Tools like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento make it easier than ever to start your own store — from your garage or a beach in Tulum. For custom storefronts across web and apps, some teams use headless commerce. One of the biggest revenue leaks is cart abandonment during checkout: shoppers add items and leave before paying. A password wall at that step is a common reason to leave; biometric authentication can remove it. A loyalty program is how stores grow customer lifetime value after that first order. A subscription is the version that keeps billing until they cancel. A digital unlock sold inside a phone app is an in-app purchase, not a cart on your site.

Want the big picture? Here’s a great intro from WooCommerce.