Why E-Commerce?
According to Forrester Research, in year 2004, the amount of electronic commerce in the United States alone will be 3.4 trillion dollars. Furthermore, according to Boston Consulting, that number in Europe will be 1.6 trillion for same year, and in Asia, it will be 922 billion dollars which excludes Japan that carries 861 billion dollars worth of E-commerce on its own. This growth, coupled with rapid changes in information technology and communication, is having a profound impact on business

and the workplace. Increasingly, the use of e-commerce is becoming a condition of trade for the manufacturing and retail industries and is imperative for all industries striving to maintain a competitive edge. Key characteristics of E-commerce:
The internet provides access to an electronic global marketplace with millions of customers, operating on a 24/7/365 basis. The increasing availability of sophisticated Web tools allows companies to eliminate, re-engineer, and automate business practices, thereby providing a more cost effective, time-efficient manner of conducting business. In addition to these positive changes, some challenges arise. As the information technology profession continues to expand, personnel in the industry are increasingly in high demand, causing a work shortage crisis for many employers. In addition, "cyberlaw" is still a relatively new discipline, with the legal ramifications of e-commerce still be explored. Although, the overall concept of E-commerce may remain ambiguous to many, but the objective behind is completely clear to all: Making money directly and indirectly. E-commerce aims to improve how people do business by opening new doors or reducing business costs. Bricks and clicks strategy
Bricks and clicks is a business strategy or business model in e-commerce by which a company attempts to integrate both online and physical presences. It is also known as Click-and-mortar or clicks-and-bricks.
For example, an electronics store may allow the user to order online, but pick up their order immediately at a local store. Conversely, a furniture store may have displays at a local store from which a customer can order an item electronically for delivery.
The bricks and clicks strategy has typically been used by traditional retailers who have extensive logistical and supply chains. Part of the reason for its success is that it is far easier for a traditional retailer to establish an online presence than it is for a start-up company to employ a successful pure dot.com strategy, or an online retailer to establish a traditional presence. This strategy has contradicted analysts who believed that the internet would render traditional retailers obsolete through disintermediation.