Editing E-commerce (section)

===Impact on markets and retailers===
[[File:Store_Closing_Flags.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|325x325px|Store closing flags outside a [[Toys "R" Us|Toys R Us]] in Deptford, New Jersey. Despite investments, the chain struggled to win market share in the age of digital commerce. ]]
E-commerce markets are growing at noticeable rates. The online market is expected to grow by 56% in 2015–2020. In 2017, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 2.3 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 4.891 trillion US dollars in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sabanoglu|first=Tugba|date=26 March 2021|title=Retail e-commerce sales worldwide from 2014 to 2024|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/379046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/|url-status=live|access-date=4 May 2021|website=[[Statista]]|archive-date=22 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122172313/https://www.statista.com/statistics/379046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/}}</ref> Traditional markets are only expected 2% growth during the same time. [[Brick and mortar]] retailers are struggling because of online retailer's ability to offer lower prices and higher efficiency. Many larger retailers are able to maintain a presence offline and online by linking physical and online offerings.<ref name="BBC News" />

E-commerce allows customers to overcome geographical barriers and allows them to purchase products anytime and from anywhere. Online and traditional markets have different strategies for conducting business. Traditional retailers offer fewer assortment of products because of shelf space where, online retailers often hold no inventory but send customer orders directly to the manufacturer. The pricing strategies are also different for traditional and online retailers. Traditional retailers base their prices on store traffic and the cost to keep inventory. Online retailers base prices on the speed of delivery.

There are two ways for marketers to conduct business through e-commerce: fully online or online along with a brick and mortar store. Online marketers can offer lower prices, greater product selection, and high efficiency rates. Many customers prefer online markets if the products can be delivered quickly at relatively low price. However, online retailers cannot offer the physical experience that traditional retailers can. It can be difficult to judge the quality of a product without the physical experience, which may cause customers to experience product or seller uncertainty. Another issue regarding the online market is concerns about the security of online transactions. Many customers remain loyal to well-known retailers because of this issue.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dimoka|first1=Angelika|last2=Hong|first2=Yili|last3=Pavlou|first3=Paul A.|date=June 2012|title=On Product Uncertainty in Online Markets: Theory and Evidence|url=https://yilihong.github.io/paper/Product%20Uncertainty%20in%20Online%20Markets_Dimoka_Hong_Pavlou2012.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=[[Management Information Systems Quarterly]]|volume=36|issue=2|pages=395–426|doi=10.2307/41703461|jstor=41703461|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106174640/http://yilihong.github.io/paper/Product%20Uncertainty%20in%20Online%20Markets_Dimoka_Hong_Pavlou2012.pdf|archive-date=6 January 2018|access-date=4 May 2021|s2cid=8963257}}</ref>

Security is a primary problem for e-commerce in developed and developing countries. E-commerce security is protecting businesses' websites and customers from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. The type of threats include: malicious codes, unwanted programs ([[Adware|ad ware]], [[spyware]]), [[phishing]], [[Hacker|hacking]], and [[Vandalism|cyber vandalism]]. E-commerce websites use different tools to avert security threats. These tools include [[Firewall (computing)|firewalls]], [[encryption software]], digital certificates, and passwords.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}}