By now, most people have heard of e-commerce or are pretty familiar with some of the big names, like Amazon, eBay, Zappos and so forth.  However, there is often a misconception about e-commerce and what it means to the average small or medium-sized business that’s trying to carve out their place online.

Generally, the perception is that e-commerce means that you have an online store where you sell your products.  This is of course true, but e-commerce really encompasses so much more, and can bring your business so much more opportunity.

Think of e-commerce not so much as an online store, but a way to exchange goods, services and information with your customers and get paid to do it.  It’s true that not everyone sells products.  However, just about every business can incorporate some form of e-commerce into its model.

Examples of E-commerce Websites

To give you an idea of just how e-commerce and the marketing of such a platform could benefit you, take a look at these brief examples of various e-commerce applications:

• A paid membership website
• The sales of information products like eBooks, audio programs and videos
• Online scheduling and payment for services like cleaning, maintenance, lawn care, pressure washing, delivery, cooking, etc.
• A convenient payment of recurring bills like a tenant paying their rent
• A means of providing quick payment collection via the web and mobile for wireless transactions at trade shows, customer’s homes, meeting people in the street and so on.

While this is hardly a full list, it does give you an idea of the diversity of the concept of e-commerce.  One of the most important things to remember about e-commerce is that with the right company behind you to set It up, maintain it and help you market the capability, it’s fast, easy and very affordable.