Technology in business

Technology in business means the digital tools and systems a business uses to carry out its activities, such as selling to customers, communicating with people inside and outside the firm, and taking payments. It covers everything from a website that takes orders to a messaging app a manager uses to brief staff.

The four main types

Each type supports a different activity, and most businesses use a mix of them.

Type	What it does	Example
E-commerce	Buying and selling goods or services online, through a business's own website or an online marketplace	A candle maker in Sheffield lists her wax melts on her own site and takes orders from customers in other countries
Social media	Platforms where users create and share content, used by businesses to reach customers, answer questions and hear opinions	A bike repair shop posts photos of finished repairs and replies to comments underneath
Digital communication	Exchanging messages or information electronically, for example by email, video call or instant message	A small catering firm video-calls a supplier in another city to confirm an order
Electronic payment systems	Taking and making payments without cash, using cards, phones or online transfers	A market stall takes contactless card payments as well as cash

The four types overlap in practice. A business that sells online still needs a way to take payment, and it may use social media to send customers towards its shop. Having a website or running adverts online is not e-commerce on its own: e-commerce means customers actually buy and pay for goods or services online.

Spotting which type a case is about matters, because each one does a different job: e-commerce completes a sale, social media builds a relationship with customers, digital communication shares information between people, and payment systems move the money. A single customer might see a post from a bakery, order a cake through its website and pay by phone, so the bakery uses three of the four types to make one sale.

The four main types

Practise this