INTRODUCTION TO E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS: FEATURES AND USAGE

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) refers to the transfer of the traditional concept of commerce to digital platforms due to the acceleration of technological developments and globalization. This transformation enables commercial transactions to be carried out over computer networks and internet infrastructure, thus offering important advantages such as time saving, low cost, wide market access and elimination of physical limitations. The most prominent feature of e-commerce is that transactions are carried out in a virtual environment instead of a physical store or office and are accessible 24/7. The purpose of this study is to examine the main features of e-commerce platforms, to analyze the usage patterns in the context of user experience and success factors. The scope of work, electronic trading systems; and its object is product and service buying and selling processes in digital environments. Literature review was used as a research method; national and international e-commerce definitions, models and practices are evaluated comparatively. Important institutions such as the World Trade Organization, OECD and Japan Electronic Commerce Center have developed definitions emphasizing different aspects of e-commerce. In general, it is defined as the implementation of production, promotion, sales and distribution processes of products and services through digital platforms and telecommunication technologies. E-commerce is not only limited to the private sector, but also public institutions are among the important stakeholders of this process. The relevance of e-commerce is due to both the need for businesses to integrate into the digitalization process and the growing online shopping habits of consumers. Various e-commerce models such as B2C (company-consumer), B2B (between companies), C2C (between consumers), B2G (company-state) and C2G (consumer-state) were introduced in the study. In addition, the role of the right product management, user-friendly web design, effective digital marketing strategies, customer satisfaction, innovation, patience and trust factors is emphasized for the success of these models. As a result, the development of e-commerce provides businesses with a competitive advan-tage; it offers versatile benefits to consumers such as quick information access, affordable shopping and time saving. In this way, the structure and operation of e-commerce platforms has become one of the most important issues of today, both academically and sectorally. In addition, the technologies used in the infrastructure of e-commerce directly affect the success in this field. Secure payment systems, mobile-friendly designs, fast cargo integration, stock tracking software and artificial intelligence-supported recommendation systems contribute to increasing sales by improving the user experience. Especially the increase of purchases made on mobile devices has made it necessary to support e-commerce platforms with mobile applications. In this regard, businesses that want to operate in digital marketplaces should prioritize not only product, but also service quality. These aspects of e-commerce will play a decisive role on future economic structures and consumption habits.