E-Commerce in East Africa
Table of Contents Definition and background 2 Reasons for growth of e-commerce in East Africa. 4 Influence of e-commerce on trading practices in East Africa. 5 Types of e-commerce 8 Challenges facing the growth of e-commerce in East Africa. 9 1. Poor infrastructure 9 Computer illiteracy 9 Lack of proper regulation 9 Inadequate capital 10 Inadequate personnel 10 Conclusion 10 References 11
Definition and background
E-commerce refers to business conducted through the use of computers, telephones, fax machines, barcode readers, credit cards, automated teller machines (ATM) or other electronic appliances (whether or not using the internet) without the exchange of paper-based documents. It includes activities such as procurement, order entry, transaction processing, payment, authentication and non-repudiation, inventory control, order fulfillment, and customer support. When a buyer pays with a bank card swiped through a magnetic-stripe-reader, he or she is participating in e-commerce. |
It mainly involves the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. Electronic commerce draws on such technologies as electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at one point in the transaction 's life-cycle, although it may encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail, mobile devices and telephones as well.
Originally, electronic commerce was identified as the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These were both introduced in the late 1970s, allowing businesses to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices
Definition and background
E-commerce refers to business conducted through the use of computers, telephones, fax machines, barcode readers, credit cards, automated teller machines (ATM) or other electronic appliances (whether or not using the internet) without the exchange of paper-based documents. It includes activities such as procurement, order entry, transaction processing, payment, authentication and non-repudiation, inventory control, order fulfillment, and customer support. When a buyer pays with a bank card swiped through a magnetic-stripe-reader, he or she is participating in e-commerce. |
It mainly involves the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. Electronic commerce draws on such technologies as electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at one point in the transaction 's life-cycle, although it may encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail, mobile devices and telephones as well.
Originally, electronic commerce was identified as the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These were both introduced in the late 1970s, allowing businesses to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices
References: * www.ecommerce-land.com * www.ihub.co.ke * The Economics of M-Pesa, William Jack and Tavneet Suri, 2nd Edition, August 2010 * www.kcbbankgroup.com * www.imbank.com * The Smart Company, The Daily Nation, 17th July 2012 page 8-9