ABSTRACT
Commerce is the exchange of goods and services between a buyer and a seller for an agreed price. The commerce ecosystem starts with a customer who interacts with a salesperson, typically at a storefront; the store gets the supply from a distributor; the distribution is typically from a warehouse or a factory; if the customer decides to buy the goods, the seller invoices the buyer for the price of goods, including taxes and shipping charges, if any; and finally the invoiced amount is collected either immediately or through an intermediary such as a bank or credit company. This commerce ecosystem has evolved over centuries. With the explosion of the Internet since 1995, every aspect of commerce could be supplemented by electronic support leading to an e-commerce ecosystem similar to the commerce eco-system. This includes systems to support customer acquisition, price negotiation, order processing, contracting, order fulfillment, logistics and delivery, bill presentation and payment, and post-sales support [1-3].
