online shopping

In computing, selecting and buying merchandise via the Internet. In business, trade over the World Wide Web is known as electronic commerce, which can be business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), or consumer-to-consumer (C2C), such as online auctions. Retailers online are often referred to as e-tailers.

The census bureau of the US Department of Commerce reported that in 2003, e-commerce accounted for 2% of all retail sales. According to the market research company Forrester Research, this rose to 4.5% in 2006 and was expected to rise to 10% by 2008.