advantages?

What is e-commerce and what are it's advantages?
The face of doing business both within Australia and overseas is rapidly changing. The internet, electronic funds transfer (EFT), e-commerce and the like have brought with them both opportunities and threats.
Your business competitors may no longer be just the business down the street, but rather a business located in any number of places around the world.
The flip side of course is that your potential market is now not just your local area, or even Queensland, but cashed up consumers across the world.
E-commerce won't go away. Online and internet commerce is currently experiencing dramatic growth. According to experienced organisations, the introduction of e-commerce can potentially:
• lower transaction costs
• reduce inventory holdings
• provide a competitive business advantage
• expand one's market
• increase speed to market
• streamline supply chain management.
E-commerce includes electronic trading, electronic messaging, electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic mail (e-mail), electronic catalogues, internet, intranet and extranet services. The Department has developed fact sheets that provide incisive information on how some leading Queensland small businesses have seized the opportunity and benefited from embracing the challenges and rewards of e-commerce.
Additional e-commerce resources:
• Departmental strategy to help small business benefit from e-commerce
• Test to find out if your business is e-commerce ready
• Access a copy of the Australian Government's e-business guide. The e-business guide will provide you with e-business information and resources
• Common types of e-commerce that your business may engage
• Strategies for converting website visits into sales
• The four webolution steps
• Ten simple checks to ensure a smart online shopping experience.