e-Commerce Topics
e-Commerce has ballooned into a multi-billion
dollar market, and the competition in this market is fierce. Companies
that offer the best user experience are the ones most likely to
succeed on the Web. To help companies succeed online, IBM has
developed guidelines addressing the issues of trust, customer support,
product navigation, product information, and the purchase transaction.
In each of these areas, our goal is to make buying goods and services
comfortable, easy, and enjoyable.
Key Terms
Below are e-commerce terms
used frequently throughout these guidelines, and their meanings as
they are used on this site. Lesser-used terms are defined in place, as
they appear.
order list - Also known as a
shopping cart, a list of products that the user has identified as
being under consideration for purchase.
order list page - A page that
contains the order list.
product list - A list of products
in the online catalog. Typically, the product list contains each
product's name, price, and a very brief description. It is linked to
more detailed information and may also include a mechanism for adding
items to the order list.
product category navigation page -
A page that presents product offerings, grouped by categories such as
brand or intended usage.
product description page - A page
that describes a product in detail and allows the user to add the
product to the order list.
store front - A point or entry to
an online store. Sometimes this page is the same as the company home
page (www.companyname.com). Other times it is separate (perhaps
www.companyname.com/shop).