Difference between an Internet Retailer and an Ecommerce Merchant

King bell

VIP Contributor
An Internet retailer is a company that sells products on their website. An ecommerce merchant is an online retailer that also accepts orders and lets customers pay for their purchases over the Internet.

Learn more about the difference between these two types of online businesses below!

An Internet Retailer:
An internet retailer simply sells products on their website, with no option for customers to complete transactions over the internet. These companies will have a brick-and-mortar location where they can accept cash, checks, and credit cards in person instead.
An Ecommerce Merchant:
Ecommerce merchants sell products on their websites, but also allow customers to complete transactions via the internet by inputting payment information and shipping address information before checkout.


Internet retailers have no need for a website because they are only selling products offline. They will simply sell their products to consumers who come into their physical store, or deliver the product to the consumer's home/business.

Ecommerce merchants rely on their websites as the primary tool of doing business because it's how customers will find their products and make purchases. An ecommerce merchant's website is where all business is conducted, so it needs to look professional and easy-to-navigate in order to drive sales.
 
Top