In many cases, organisations created their own search, content management, shopping cart and product catalogue capabilities. As they were pressured to establish an online presence quickly, though it was not yet clear what the strategic implications of e-commerce would be, most companies designed and developed their e-commerce platforms without taking into consideration their long term needs.

Over time, e-commerce has proved to be a viable and profitable sales channel and has demonstrated its potential to improve business in all other channels. Companies now view e-commerce as an integral part of their business strategies.

Unfortunately, homegrown ecommerce platforms fail to meet more sophisticated customer demands and prevent companies from realizing the full strategic benefits of e-commerce. Hence, there is a need for a robust, well-designed and comprehensive model of e-commerce to help such organisations exploit the full potential of online marketplace.

E-commerce in India

There is a tremendous scope for e-commerce in India. With the advent of the Indian IT industry, high real estate prices, time-starved lifestyles and growing preferences for credit cards, Indian customers are moving towards online shopping. New RBI norms after August 2009 have added a new security layer in online transactions, making Indian consumers more confident during online transactions, giving them the full benefit of online shopping.

E-commerce in India can be divided into two broad categories: travel and non-travel. Travel is the biggest e-commerce category in India contributing nearly 60 per cent of business. This segment includes train, airline, taxi and hotel bookings. Indian Railway Catering anf Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which contributes to one-third of India's e-commerce industry, sold 38.7 million tickets (as of February2009) and estimated gross sales stand at Rs 3,400 crore, while India's total e-commerce industry stands at an estimated Rs 9,210 crore.

In the non-travel segment, categories which are showing growth potential in Indian e-commerce market include electronic gadgets, home appliances, music, movies, office supplies, software, photography, financial transactions, books, apparel, gifts, jewellery, beauty products and toys. Essentially, Indian consumers' online shopping behaviours are still need-drivenó they are only buying standard items. Some of the major barriers to e-commerce in the mind of the Indian consumers are: There are no guarantees of product quality, the absence of bargaining/negotiation power, No surety of security of transactions/fear of credit card misuse. The medium lacks the 'touch and feel' factor before ordering the product, apprehensions about delay in delivery, a lack of trust about online transactions, But with the rise of the screenager' generation, who are always online on their mobiles and laptops on social networking websites, it is essential for e-commerce websites to incorporate more features and become up-to-date to suit the changing Indian consumer profile.

Rise in demand of e-commerce, buying and building e-commerce solution and benefits of commerce in a box solution explained in an article covered by a retail magazine giant Retail Biz.