Electronic Purchasing Commerce through the Internet

Electronic purchasing commerce through the Internet refers to a broad and diverse set of activities. Using the Internet to conduct purchasing business is not extensive today, although commercial Internet usage by purchasers should increase dramatically over the next several years. The highest expected growth areas in e-commerce purchasing include the following:

• Transmitting purchase orders to suppliers
• Following up on the status of orders
• Submitting requests for quotes to suppliers
• Placing orders with suppliers
• Making electronic funds transfer payments
• Establishing electronic data interchange capability