E-commerce : from its birth to its apogee
The emergence of e-commerce
E-commerce was introduced about 40 years ago. Since then, new technologies, improved internet connectivity and widespread consumer adoption have helped countless businesses grow.

Key dates in e-commerce
1969 – Founding of CompuServe
ConpuServe was founded by electrical engineering students John R. Goltz and Jeffrey Wilkins in 1969. This technology was built using a dial-up connection.

In the 1980s, CompuServe introduced the first forms of e-mail and Internet connectivity to the public. ConpuServe continued to dominate the e-commerce landscape until the mid-1990s.

1979 – Michael Aldrich invents electronic shopping
British inventor Michael Aldrich introduced electronic shopping in 1979. This system worked by connecting a modified television set to a transaction processing computer over a telephone line.

This allowed the opening and sharing of closed information systems by third parties for secure data transmission. The technology thus became the foundation on which modern e-commerce was built.

1982 – Launch of the Boston Computer Exchange
When the Boston Computer Exchange was launched in 1982, it was the first e-commerce company in the world.

Also, its main function was to serve as a marketplace for people interested in selling their used computers.

1992 – Book Stacks Unlimited: the first online book marketplace
Charles M. Stack launched Book Stacks Unlimited as an online bookstore in 1992 (3 years before Jeff Bezos launched Amazon).

Originally, the company used the format of a telephone bulletin board. But in 1994, the site moved to the Internet and operated from the Books.com domain.

1994 – Netscape Navigator Launched as a Web browser
Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark co-created Netscape Navigator as a Web browsing tool. They officially announced its introduction in October 1994.

During the 1990s, Netscape Navigator became the most widely used Web browser on Windows before the rise of Google.

1995 – Launch of Amazon and eBay
Jeff Bezos introduced Amazon in 1995 mainly as an e-commerce platform for books.

On the other hand, the same year, Pierre Omidyar launched AuctionWeb, which would later become what we call eBay today.

Since then, both have become important online sales platforms allowing consumers to sell to audiences around the world.

1998 – PayPal launches the PayPal online payment system
PayPal first appeared on the e-commerce scene in late 1998 as a money transfer tool. However, it was originally introduced as Confinity by founders Max Levhin, Peter Thiel, Like Nosek and Ken Howery.

All in all, in 2000, the platform merged with Elon Musk’s online banking and began its rise to fame and popularity.

1999 – Launch of Alibaba
Alibaba Online was launched in 1999 as a marketplace with over $25 million in funding.

By 2001, the company was profitable. It then evolved into a major B2B, C2C and B2C platform that is still widely used today.

2000 – Google introduces Google AdWords as an online advertising tool
Google AdWords was introduced in 2000. The tool allows e-commerce companies to advertise to users of the Google search tool.

Companies create their ad with a short text ad and a display URL. Online retailers began to use the tool in a pay-per-click context.

2005 – Amazon introduces Amazon Prime membership
Amazon introduced Amazon Prime in 2005. This system is a way for customers to get free 2-day shipping for a fixed annual price.

Membership also came to include other benefits like discounted next-day shipping. Today, it also allows access to streaming services like Amazon Video and members-only events like Prime Day.

This strategic decision has helped build customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. Today, free shipping and fast delivery are the most common requests from online consumers.

2005 – Etsy is launched
Etsy was launched in 2005, allowing crafters and small sellers to sell their products on a marketplace. This brought the maker community online. It can therefore reach an audience of buyers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2009 – Launch of BigCommerce
Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper co-founded BigCommerce in 2009. They introduced it that year as a 100% bootstrapped e-commerce platform.

Since then, more than $8 billion in sales have been processed through the platform. The company is now headquartered in Austin, San Francisco and Sydney.

Other e-commerce technology platform providers launched around the same time. Shopify (2006) and Magento (2008) are also recognized as market leaders alongside BigCommerce.

2011 – Google Wallet introduced as a digital payment method
Google Wallet was launched in 2011 as a peer-to-peer payment service. It allows individuals to send and receive money from a mobile device or desktop computer.

Thus, by linking the digital wallet to a debit card or bank account, users can pay for their products or services through these devices.

Today, Google Wallet has joined Android Pay for what is now known as Google Pay.

2011 – Facebook rolls out sponsored posts as an early form of advertising
In 2011, Facebook began offering advertising opportunities to business page owners through sponsored posts.

Through these paid campaigns, e-commerce businesses were able to reach specific audiences. To do this, they use the social network to become part of the news feeds of different target audiences.

2014 – Apple Pay introduced as a mobile payment method.
As online shoppers started using their mobile devices more frequently, Apple introduced Apple Pay as a mobile payment and digital wallet tool. As such, Apple Pay allows users to pay for products or services with an Apple device.

2014 – Jet.com launched
Jet.com was founded in 2014 by Marc Lore (who had sold his former company to Amazon) with Mike Hanrahan and Nate Faust.

However, the company competes with Costco and Sam’s Club. It caters to people looking for the lowest possible price for longer shipping times and bulk orders.

2017 – Shoppable Instagram launched.
Instagram Shopping was launched in 2017 first with e-commerce partner BigCommerce.

Since then, the service has expanded to other e-commerce platforms. It allows Instagram users to immediately click on an item and go to the product page to purchase it.

2017 – Cyber Monday sales exceed $6.5 billion
In 2017, e-commerce growth is breaking a new record. As a result, online sales for Cyber Monday exceed $6.5 billion (a 17% increase over the previous year).

Smartphone sales are also breaking records with over $2 billion in sales made via mobile devices.

Studies indicate that the future of e-commerce is bright.

By 2022, e-commerce sales in the United States alone are expected to reach $638 million. With toys, entertainment and home improvement showing the strongest growth.

And this isn’t a passing trend either. Many Americans now consider online shopping a must. In fact, 40% say they can’t live without it.

Also, research also predicts that, soon, most e-commerce interactions will be an omni-channel experience for shoppers.

This means they expect to be able to seamlessly search, browse and shop across different devices and platforms (such as a standalone web store, Amazon presence, etc.).

Other trends in the future of eCommerce to watch for:

the increasing complexity of robust customer journeys and personalization,
artificial intelligence-based shopping,
digital currencies…
Overall, we need to remember that e-commerce is still relatively new to the retail landscape.

The future offers endless possibilities, but its success and sustainability will largely depend on shoppers’ preferences.