Electronic Commerce consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. People who shop online are most familiar with transactional e-commerce site. A transactional site may be an electronic storefront for a brick-and-mortar retailer or a catalog business, like Lands’ End, or a manufacturer showroom for those wishing to sell directly to the public like Dell Computer. Transactional sites conduct full “end-to-end” transactions via the website, allowing customers to search for, order, and pay for products online as well as allowing them to contact the company for after-sales service. The most sophisticated sites create efficiencies by integrating the transaction process with back-office systems such as accounting, inventory, sales and others like Amazon.com.

http://www.dell.com.my/ is one of the local transactional e-commerce sites. Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell on a simple concept, by selling computer systems directly to customers, could best understand their needs and efficiently provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs. Dell evolving business strategy combines the revolutionary direct customer model with new distribution channels to reach commercial customers and individual consumers around the world.

The way people connect and communicate is changing, and changing the world. A truly globalized information technology infrastructure and those who build, run and use it are creating a new era — the Connected Era. Already, IT connects communities, governments and businesses to one another and to a storehouse of information larger than we can imagine. In the Connected Era, these trends will only accelerate. While the future of the Connected Era will be shaped by many forces, Dell believes four inevitable priorities will define the next stage of technology which are regenerating, simplifying, listening and connecting.

In Dell website, consumer may from the Store welcome page, start by clicking on the icon for the particular brand and system type which are interested in. If the customer unfamiliar with the product line, can select "Learn More" to connect to online product catalog and get more detailed information about each of the system families listed. Then, proceed as directed.

Dell provides varieties of products and services. After choosing a system type of interest on the Store welcome page or after selecting "Continue", on a product page in Dell online catalog, click on one of the systems listed for the brand of interest. Dell also provides comparison features. Customer can select few models and made comparison based on the price, capacity and so on to help they consider which product most suitable for them.

After made up your mind, customer lick anywhere on the system's description to begin customizing own system. Dell’s systems are sorted by key attributes such as desktop type (e.g., mini-tower, mid-size, low-profile), processor type, and processor speed. Prices for systems, as they have been configured by Dell, are shown to help guide customer selection. But system price can vary greatly from that displayed based on the component selections make when customizing.

After customized, customer can review the order and able to view the full details including total cast and tax. Then customer needs to confirm whether the billing and shipping address are the same. The checkout page consists of 3 steps: delivery information, payment information and order information. Once the customer provide the information requested then can submit order to finalize the purchase.

Of course, the security and privacy of order information always are the main issue to the consumer. At Dell, consumer right to privacy and data security is a primary concern. That's why, when visit to dell.com, they help you maintain control over your personal data on the Internet. Dell only asks for specific types of personal information that will enable to enhance the site, to assist with purchase and technical support issues. It is completely optional for customer to participate. Dell only uses personal information for specific purpose. The information provided will be kept confidential and used to support customer relationship with Dell.

Related Links:
1. http://www.export.gov/sellingonline/typesofsites.asp
2. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/company/history/history?c=my&l=en&s=corp
3. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/company/connected_era/connected_era?~ck=ln&c=my&l=en&lnki=0&s=corp
4. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/ap/topics/storeinfo/en/howtobuy?c=in&l=en&cs=inbsd1