Just as the industrial revolution radically changed the nature of work, created enormous wealth, altered family structure, spawned new lifestyles and eventually affected even the primary form of the government throughout the world, the e-commerce revolution is bringing about profound changes. Consumer analysts must be equipped to understand and interpret these changes and their effects both on society and marketing strategies. The article examines the challenges faced in online shopping.

Cyber-consumer can't be seen or met physically. This is the age of information technology. Currently, the computers are being used widely all around the world. They are being used for business and domestic purposes, for government work, for buying and selling products and services, for recording and retrieving information, for electronic communication with the greatest of ease, etc. Companies have been working towards computerization, and the first commercial computer was developed in 1924 by IBM. Computer education started in 1928, and today it has changed the entire concept of business and mankind. Right from the railway booking, which entailed long queues at the reservation counters, to accessing the latest information, things have become much easier and methodical.

Earlier, emphasis was laid on the programming in various languages, for instance, Pascal, COBOL, FORTRAN, etc., then we had the transition to three generation languages, and now the e-commerce, which can be described as the method of carrying out business electronically, which has now become an integrated discipline. E-Commerce has brought a revolution in many fields. For example, it has changed the entire concept of selling and buying. It has transformed the thinking process of the consumer.

It has, in turn, changed the decision-making process of the consumer and the physical activities associated with this process have been reduced drastically. Consumers using the Internet can improve the execution of their business. They can generate and exploit business opportunities with greater efficiency and speed. They can `generate business value'. It is an added advantage to the customers for getting better quality products by using interconnected networks. As a result, there is a guarantee to the customer satisfaction and this will certainly improve the economy. It saves time and increases the pace of transactions and delivery. These bring about a change not only in the thinking of the consumer, but also in his behavior.

E-Business Magazine, Purchase Behavior, E-Commerce, Information Technology, Computer Communication Networks, Electronic Data Interchange, EDI, E-business, Consumer Behavior, Fast Mooving Consumer Goods, FMCG, Supply Chain Management, E-merchants, Customer Relationship Management.