eCommerce
Electronic commerce (also referred to as EC, e-commerce or ecommerce) consists primarily of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The information technology industry might see it as an electronic business application aimed at commercial transactions; in this context, it can involve electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, e-marketing, online marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), automated inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Electronic commerce typically uses electronic communications technology of the World Wide Web, at some point in the transaction's lifecycle, although of course electronic commerce frequently depends on computer technologies other than the World Wide Web, such as databases, and e-mail, and on other non-computer technologies, such as transportation for physical goods sold via e-commerce.

Merchant account
A Merchant Account is a vital element of any ecommerce website, without it users will be unable to use credit cards to purchase goods and services from the site. Funds paid into the account are collected by a bank and dispersed to the site owner on a regular basis. There are many different types of Merchant Accounts, all with varying fees.

SSL certificates
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates (sometimes referred to as "digital certificates") are issued by certificate authorities to ensure security in Internet communications, especially e-commerce transactions where sensitive information such as a credit card or social security number is being transmitted. Digital certificates are used to create and decode encrypted messages to make sure they are delivered securely from sender to intended recipient. Prices for certificates can vary widely, so it's best to research as many certificate authorities as you can before deciding on a provider.