E-Commerce Hosting or also know as E-Commerce Web Hosting is when you use a web server to host your web site to permit the buying and selling of products and services by consumers over the internet. The consumer moves through the internet to your merchant enabled web site. From there, he decides that he wants to purchase something, so he is moved to the online transaction server, where all of the information he gives is encrypted. Once he has placed his order, the information moves through a private gateway to a Processing Network, where the issuing and acquiring banks complete or deny the transaction. This generally takes place in no more than 5-7 seconds. There are many different payment systems available to accommodate the varied processing needs of merchants, from those who have a few orders a day to those who process thousands of transactions daily.

With little or no programming, you can have an e-commerce web hosting storefront that displays your products, collects customer information and accepts credit cards up and running. In order for potential customers to make a purchase from your site, you must first have a way to display your products and services. Customers will want to browse through your products, reserving their choices in a virtual shopping cart or basket.

Storefront Development Software can greatly simplify these tasks by enabling you to build and manage your online store through an ordinary web browser. Such programs can provide the following functionality:

• Product maintenance, cataloging and automated shopping cart
• Integration with Online Payment Processing Services
• Customizable look and feel of your site and order forms
• Simplified order processing and fulfillment