An Overview
1. Early Years (1970-1989): Birth and Evolution of the Internet
ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet, was developed in the late 1960s.
Early e-commerce was mostly confined to B2B transactions like EDI (Electronic Data Interchange).
First online shopping system, Michael Aldrich's Videotex, emerged in 1979.
Internet's TCP/IP protocol was established in 1983, enabling the global network.
2. The 1990s: Birth of WWW and E-commerce Services
Tim Berners-Lee launched the World Wide Web in 1991.
Amazon (1994), eBay (1995), and Yahoo (1994) were founded, pioneering online retail and auctions.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption was introduced for secure transactions.
3. The 2000s: Web 2.0
The term "Web 2.0" was coined in 2004, indicating a shift towards user-generated content.
E-commerce platforms started to offer APIs for third-party developers (e.g., eBay API).
Social features, like reviews and ratings, were integrated into e-commerce sites.
4. The 2010s: Social Commerce
Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest started facilitating direct sales.
"Buy" buttons appeared on social media.
Chatbots and AI-driven recommendation systems gained popularity.
5. The 2020s: COVID-19 Fueled Growth
E-commerce sales skyrocketed due to pandemic-induced lockdowns.
Contactless payments and curbside pickups became common.
Expansion into new categories like groceries and healthcare.