A method and
system for remotely building a shopping
list for remote shopping and ordering merchandise electronically. A shopping
list can be built any time, anywhere by scanning, speaking, or
keying-in
barcode numbers such as UPC codes into a data collection device that can be an intricate part of the terminal or interfaced to the terminal The terminal is used for ordering merchandise through a direct distance dial or
wireless telephone network, that could utilize or connect to
the Internet, to connect to a shopper assistance portal that maintains information relating to a plurality of merchants and a plurality of product offered by the plurality of merchants. The merchandise is identified by
barcode numbers in the form of individual digital merchandise codes. The geographical location of order placement can be configured by the user to select only merchants that service the location. When a shopper selects a merchant, a link is executed to the merchant's e-commerce
server where the shopper could proceed with the order through the order receiving
system that the merchant has incorporated into their e-commerce
system. A shopper may purchase all, one, or selected products. Purchases and return transactions are preferably conducted between the shopper and the individual merchant. The targeted product specific advertising program searches the shopper's
list for specific products that a shopper in the merchant's service area is planning to buy. Ads are displayed on the terminal relevant to items that match specific
barcode numbers. If the shopper clicks through on the ad, the shopper will enter the merchant's site through a special URL along with their active shopping list in an attached data packet.