The History Of Electronic Commerce: Origin And Evolution

Today, electronic commerce has become a fundamental channel to improve the visibility of brand products and services, improving company results and business profitability. In addition, the number of users who prefer this option to make their purchases is increasing. Therefore, it is vital to know the history of electronic commerce.

Would you like to know what was the origin and evolution of electronic commerce? Stay and read this post, we show you everything you need to know below!

Origin of electronic commerce

The birth of electronic commerce can be located in the United States in the early 1920s thanks to cataloging sales. This new sales model allowed the product to be sold for the first time without the need to physically observe it. Users could view the characteristics of the product through illustrative photos and make their purchases without having to go to the physical point of sale.

Both seller and buyer found benefits in this method since users obtained greater convenience in the purchase and the brand could access people who lived in rural areas or who were not close to the premises.

In addition, the arrival of the telephone and the first credit cards further enhanced this buying and selling system.

Also Read: What Are The Essential Elements In An eCommerce

Electronic data exchange in the 1960s

Another important milestone in the history of electronic commerce takes place in the 1960s when electronic data interchange (EDI) appeared. This innovation enabled companies to transmit financial information electronically, leading to purchases, invoices, and transactions.

In this way, many companies were able to implement an electronic commerce mechanism, improving their competitiveness and increasing the benefits obtained by the business.

The arrival of teleshopping

In the 1980s, the catalog sales method was perfected by making use of television to show the products of the brands and offer the possibility of purchasing by calling the number that appeared on the screen. This is how teleshopping came into our lives.

The television allowed us to visualize with greater realism and in a more detailed way the peculiarities of the articles and, with this, to obtain a much more authentic idea about them.

Users could purchase their credit cards and later receive the product in their homes.

The internet revolution

One of the great advances in the history of electronic commerce is undoubtedly the Internet revolution. The arrival of the World Wide Web and the creation of the first web pages improved the accessibility of users to discover new brands and make purchases.

In addition, in the 1990s exclusive portals were created to sell a large number of products belonging to different categories, such as Amazon and eBay, which are still operating today.

It should also be noted that in 1994 the countries that made up the G7 / G8 gave birth to the initiative “A Global Market for SMEs”, intending to promote the use of electronic commerce by all companies in the world.

Also Read: The eCommerce Trends For 2021 According To Shopify

The news of eCommerce

The great innovations of the last decades, the increase in the use of mobile devices, and the simplicity in the possibility of making purchases over the Internet have led to e-commerce becoming the platforms par excellence in the history of electronic commerce.

Our shopping habits have changed and more and more users prefer to make their purchases online instead of going to a physical establishment.

As has been observed throughout the article, online commerce has evolved over the years, becoming a channel with great prominence and importance for making purchases. Thus, each year the billing and transaction figures in this medium have been exceeded.