People use the term "ecommerce" or "online shopping" to describe the process of searching for and selecting products in online catalogues and then "checking out" using a credit card and encrypted payment processing. Internet sales are increasing rapidly as consumers take advantage of
- lower prices offered by vendors operating with less margin than a bricks and mortar store
- greater convenience of having a product delivered rather than the cost of time and transport and parking of going to a store
- sourcing product more cheaply from overseas vendors
- great variety and inventory offered by online stores
- comparison engines that compare and recommend product
- auction sites, where they did for goods