E-Commerce Glossary
A quick look at words you may come across when dealing with selling online. e-Commerce is really not that difficult. Here are some of the terms you will run into again and again.
Domain name: A Web site address that belongs exclusively to you and takes people straight to your Web site, wherever it is stored on the Internet.
Download: When you transfer information from the Internet to your computer.
e-Commerce: While there are many definitions for e-commerce, for me it’s simply selling goods and services via the Internet.
e-Commerce Software: Computer program that allows you to build a shop for the Internet.
e-Commerce solution: A website with integrated shopping cart software which allows you to sell via the Internet. It should also offer other functionality such as enabling you to accept orders online.
E-mails: Electronic messages that are sent over the Internet, similar to letters.
Encryption: A process in which information is scrambled so no unauthorized person can read it
FTP: File Transfer Protocol - simply a method in which you can upload and download information to and from the Internet. Good shop building software takes care of this for you. But specialized programs can often do a better job.
Font: The name of a style of text.
GlobeCharge: An online order processing gateway.
HTML: The name of the programming language used to create web pages. Shop building software will take care of this - so there is no need to know it.
Internet: A worldwide network of computers.
Internet Service Provider: A company that gives you access to the Internet.
Merchant: Someone who sells goods.
Merchant account: A bank account that allows people to accept credit card payments.
Meta tags: Special information embedded in web pages, which allows search engines to index and classify your web site better.
Modem: A device that lets one computer talk to another computer via the telephone line.
Network: Several computers hooked together so the can exchange information with each other.
Online: When you have an active connection to the Internet.
PGP: Software that encrypts important information so it can be sent over the Internet securely. PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy - and goes up to military garde encryption.
Real-time payment service providers: An online service that will process credit card transactions for you - for a commission.
Redirect URL: A Web site address that belongs almost exclusively to you - and finds your Web site no matter where it is stored on the Internet.
santu: A hosting service provider.
Search engine: A Web site that helps you find other Web sites on the Internet.
Secure Online Shop: A shop on the Internet which allows secure transactions.
Sell online Selling online: Offering products on the Internet for sale.
Shop building software: Computer program that allows you to build a shop for the Internet.
ShopFactory: An easy to use e-Commerce solution which allows creation of online shops with point an click ease.
Shopping cart software: Computer program which allows you to build a shop for the Internet.
Shopping cart, shopping carts: A small program which stores products a customer wants to purchase until the customer checks out.
SSL: Software called Secure Sockets Layer that encrypts information before sending it via the Internet. It is included in all browsers
Secure shopping cart: A shopping cart connecting to a secure ordering process.
Traffic: The amount of information being passed around the Internet.
Upload: Transferring information from your computer to the Internet.
URL: Universal Resource Locator - the technical term for ‘Web site address’.
Web host: A company that rents out space on the Internet to allow you to place web pages on it.
Web page: A ‘page’ on the World Wide Web.
Web site: A ‘page’ or group of ‘pages’ on the World Wide Web.
Web site address: The address for a web site - so you can find it on the Internet with your browser.
World Wide Web: All web-sites on the Internet combined - used also as term for Internet.
