History of E-Commerce

The History Of Ecommerce, The Early Years In the 1960s, very early on in the history of Ecommerce, its purpose was to exchanging electronic data long distance. In these early days of Ecommerce, users consisted of only very large companies, such as banks and military departments, who used it for command control communication purposes. This was called EDI, and was used for electronic data interchange. In the late 1970s a new protocol was developed known as ASC X12 which was used for the exchange of business documents and information electronically.

Another system was being developed at the same time by the Military known as ARPAnet, and was the first to use the “dial up” method of sending information via telephone networks. It was considered the grandfather of the modern Internet. I guess we can thank the cold war for something! In 1982 Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol known as TCP & IP was developed. This was the first system to send information in small packets along different routes using packet switching technology, like todays Internet! As opposed to sending the information streaming down one route.

These were amongst the largest developments in the history of Ecommerce that set the stage for a revolution in the exchange of electronic data, but it was not for another quarter of a century that Ecommerce became accessible to everyday people like you and me. he History Of Ecommerce, Beginnings Of An Electronic Revolution The Internet took a giant leap into the modern age in 1991 when a computer scientist working under contract for CERN “Tim Berners-Lee” made a huge advancement by communicating via the Internet using HTTP. The birth of the World Wide Web was upon us!

He is now considered the father of the World Wide Web. This opened up the door for everyday people like you and me to use this wonderful new technology, however it was not until 1994 that the first truly user friendly browser was developed with built in security protocol to protect peoples personal information online. This made way for secure transactions to be conducted on the internet. A year later 3rd party credit card payment services became available to the still small online community. The stage was set, and the future of Ecommerce was about to take off.

The History Of Ecommerce, The Revolution Takes Off! In 1995, with the introduction of online payment methods, two companies that we all know of today took their first steps into the world of Ecommerce. Today Amazon and Ebay are both amongst the most successful companies on the Internet! One month after selling his first book online, founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos was selling to every state in the U. S and over 40 other countries. Ecommerce allowed the easy processing of orders and shipping also enabling him to buy directly from the publishers.

Ebay saw growth that was just as staggering. By allowing anyone to buy and sell online, in just a few short years the company became a household name with a turnover of hundreds of millions a year. From its humble beginning in 1995 modern Ecommerce has become the fastest growing area of business, showing continued growth year after year. Technology has advanced further making it so much more accessible to people from all walks of life, and entire industries have been built around Ecommerce which are today, the who’s who of the business world.

Today virtually anything can be purchased online, from your pizza to your car. And people love to shop online, figures show that in the U. S over 60% of adults have purchased goods online this is a figure that is set to explode over the coming years as the youth of today mature fast, being the first to have been raised with this exciting environment interwoven into all aspects of life. If there is one thing we can learn from the history of Ecommerce it is that anyone given a little motivation and drive can become successful.

It has never been easier to get a foothold into the exciting online world of Ecommerce, all anyone needs is an internet conection a computer and an idea. The advantages of Ecommerce are endless. Ecommerce has become the great leveler, giving anyone the ability to build an Ecommerce website, and sell to a world wide market with outstanding results. The history of Ecommerce has shown us just how fast people can embrace a new technology, It has evolved in leaps and bounds to become what it is today and the future is looking bright.