Ecommerce 101+ History of Online Shopping

Ecommerce 101 + The History of Online
Shopping: What The Past Says About

Tomorrow’s Retail Challenges
When it comes to ecommerce, a word that first comes to mind is growth.
Ecommerce expert Gary Hoover’s research shows that just in the last 14 years, the growth of ecommerce
companies has skyrocketed across the board.
And some merchandise lines (like clothing and beauty products in particular) have achieved a
remarkable 25% average CGR between 2000-2014.
This trend isn’t slowing down, either.
In fact, growth projections estimate that by 2022, ecommerce revenues will exceed $638 billion in the
U.S. alone.
Globally, ecommerce growth projections are also on an upward trajectory:
They show that retail sales may exceed $4.058 trillion by as soon as
2020.
Growing your high-volume or established business?

Start your 15-day free trial, schedule a demo or give us a call at 1-866-581-4549.
Image source
Even more data reinforces the ecommerce growth trend:
There may be as many as 2.14 billion digital buyers worldwide by 2021 (eMarketer)
U.S. ecommerce sales of apparel, footwear, and accessories projected to exceed $123M by 2022
(Statista)
Shoppers spend 36% of their budget online on average (BigCommerce)
But what’s exciting about this is that there’s still so much opportunity within the online marketplace.
U.S. Department of Commerce data shows that ecommerce sales

currently average about 9.1% of total retail sales. That means there are
still endless opportunities for brands to launch an ecommerce website
and to expand their reach.
When you factor in the expanded ecommerce selling opportunities through omnichannel retail (like
adding Amazon and eBay storefronts to your sales approach, for example), it’s easy to see that now is
the best possible time to grow an ecommerce business.

IT’ S NOW OR NEV ER
There has never been an easier time in history to

build a business PERIOD.
The cost of entry is lower than ever before. The

ability to access & qualify experts is much easier.
The ability to speak directly to your customers and
make adjustments has never been easier.
– Eric Carlson, Co-Founder, 10x Factory

What is Ecommerce?
Essentially, ecommerce (or electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of goods (or services) on the
internet.
From mobile shopping to online payment encryption and beyond, ecommerce encompasses a wide
variety of data, systems, and tools for both online buyers and sellers.
Most businesses with an ecommerce presence use an ecommerce store and/or an ecommerce platform
to conduct both online marketing and sales activities and to oversee logistics and fulfillment.
Keep in mind that ecommerce has a few di erent spelling variations. All of these are synonymous and
correct –– their use is largely preference-based.
E-Commerce
eCommerce
Ecommerce
e-commerce
e commerce

Types of Ecommerce
Generally, there are six main models of ecommerce that businesses can be categorized into:
1. B2C.
2. B2B.
3. C2C.
4. C2B.
5. B2A.
6. C2A.
Let’s look at each type of electronic commerce in a bit more detail.
1. Business-to-Consumer (B2C).
B2C ecommerce encompasses transactions made between a business and a consumer.
This is one of the most widely used sales models in the ecommerce context. When you buy shoes from
an online shoe retailer, it is a business-to-consumer transaction.
2. Business-to-Business (B2B).
Unlike B2C, B2B ecommerce relates to sales made between businesses, such as a manufacturer and a
wholesaler or retailer.
This type of ecommerce is not consumer-facing and happens only between business entities.
Most o en, business-to-business sales focus on raw materials or products that are repackaged or
combined before being sold to customers.

TRA INING THE NEW B 2B B UYER
Training your customers to use the new B2B tools

is important for adoption.
Changing the way some customers do business

with you can be a roadblock or a benefit.
Position the change in a way that makes your

customers’ lives easier.
– Andy Etemadi, CEO, EYEMAGINE
3. Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C).
One of the earliest forms of ecommerce is the C2C ecommerce business model.
Customer-to-customer relates to the sale of products or services between, you guessed it: customers.
This would include customer to customer selling relationships like those seen on eBay or Amazon, for
example.
4. Consumer-to-Business (C2B).
C2B reverses the traditional ecommerce model (and is what we commonly see in crowdfunding
projects).
C2B means Individual consumers make their products or services available for business buyers.
An example of this would be a business model like iStockPhoto, in which stock photos are available
online for purchase directly from di erent photographers.

5. Business-to-Administration (B2A).
This model covers the transactions made between online businesses and administrations.
An example would be the products and services related to legal documents, social security, etc.
6. Consumer-to-Administration (C2A).
Same idea here, but with consumers selling online products or services to an administration.
C2A might include things like online consulting for education, online tax preparation, etc.
Both B2A and C2A are focused on increased e iciency within the government via the support of
information technology.

History of Ecommerce
The history of ecommerce dates back further than you might think.
It was initially introduced about 40 years ago in its earliest form.
Since then, electronic commerce has helped countless businesses grow with the help of new
technologies, improvements in internet connectivity, and widespread consumer and business adoption.
One of the first ecommerce transactions was made back in 1982, and
today, it is growing by as much as 23% year-over-year.

Ecommerce Timeline:
Year Major Ecommerce Event
1969 The first major ecommerce company, CompuServe, is founded.
1979 Michael Aldrich invents electronic shopping.
1982 Boston Computer Exchange launches as one of the first ecommerce platforms.
1992 Book Stacks Unlimited launches as one of the first online marketplaces for books.
Netscape launches Netscape Navigator, an early web browser, making it easier for
1994
users to browse online.
1995 Amazon and eBay launch.
1998 PayPal launches as an online payment system.
1999 Alibaba.com launches.
2000 Google launches AdWords as an online search advertising tool.
2005 Amazon launches Amazon Prime with expedited, flat-fee shipping for members.
2005 Esty, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods launches.
2009 BigCommerce launches as an online storefront platform.
2009 Square, Inc. is founded.
2011 Google Wallet launches as an online payment system.
2011 Facebook launches sponsored stories as a form of early advertising.
2011 Stripe launches.
2014 Apple Pay launches as a form of mobile payment.
2014 Jet.com launches.
2017 Instagram shoppable posts are introduced.
2017 Cyber Monday sales exceed $6.5B.
1969 – CompuServe is founded.
Founded by electrical engineer students Dr. John R. Goltz and Je rey Wilkins in 1969, early CompuServe
technology was built utilizing a dial-up connection.

In the 1980s, CompuServe introduced some of the earliest forms of email and internet connectivity to
the public and went on to dominate the ecommerce landscape through the mid-1990s.
1979 – Michael Aldrich invents electronic shopping.
English inventor Michael Aldrich introduced electronic shopping in 1979, which operated by connecting
a modified TV to a transaction-processing computer via telephone line.
This made it possible for closed information systems to be opened and shared by outside parties for
secure data transmission – and the technology became the foundation upon which modern ecommerce
was built.
1982 – Boston Computer Exchange launches.
When Boston Computer Exchange launched in 1982, it was the world’s first ecommerce company.
Its primary function was to serve as an online market for people interested in selling their used
computers.
1992 – Book Stacks Unlimited launches as first online book marketplace.
Charles M. Stack introduced Book Stacks Unlimited as an online bookstore in 1992 – three full years
before Je Bezos introduced Amazon.
Originally the company used the dial-up bulletin board format, but in 1994 the site switched to the
internet and operated from the Books.com domain.
1994 – Netscape Navigator launches as a web browser.
Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark co-created Netscape Navigator as a web browsing tool, and formally
announced its introduction in October of 1994.

During the 1990s, Netscape Navigator became the primarily used web browser on the Windows platform
before the rise of modern giants like Google.
1995 – Amazon and eBay launch.
Je Bezos introduced Amazon in 1995 primarily as an ecommerce platform for books.
That same year, Pierre Omidyar introduced AuctionWeb, which would later become what we know today
as eBay.
Since then, both have become massive ecommerce selling platforms that enable consumers to sell
online to audiences around the globe.
1998 – PayPal launches as ecommerce payment system.
Originally introduced as Confinity by founders Max Levhin, Peter Thiel, Like Nosek and Ken Howery,
PayPal made its appearance on the ecommerce stage in late 1998 as a money transfer tool.
By 2000, it would merge with Elon Musk’s online banking company and begin its rise to fame and
popularity.
1999 – Alibaba launches.
Alibaba Online launched in 1999 as an online marketplace with more than $25 million in funding.
By 2001 the company was profitable. It went on to turn into a major B2B, C2C, and B2C platform that’s
still widely used today.
2000 – Google introduces Google AdWords as an online advertising tool.
Google Adwords was introduced in 2000 as a way for ecommerce businesses to advertise to people
using the Google search tool.

With the help of short text ad copy and display URLs, online retailers began using the tool in a pay-per-
click (PPC) context.
2005 – Amazon introduces Amazon Prime membership.
Amazon introduced Amazon Prime in 2005 as a way for customers to get free two-day shipping for a flat
annual fee.
The membership also came to include other perks like discounted one-day shipping and later access to
streaming services like Amazon Video and members-only events like “Prime Day.”
This strategic move helped boost customer loyalty and incentivize repeat purchases. Today, free
shipping and speed of delivery are the most common requests from online consumers.
2005 – Etsy is launched.
Etsy launches in 2005, allowing cra ers and smaller sellers to sell goods through an online marketplace.
This brought the makers community online –– expanding their reach to a 24/7 buying audience.
2009 – Square launches.
Square was founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey. The first Square app and service
launched in 2010.
Square allowed o line retailers to accept debit and credit cards in their brick-and-mortars and
absolutely anywhere for the first time ever.
The idea occurred to Dorsey when in 2009 when McKelvey (a St. Louis friend of Dorsey at the time) was
unable to complete a $2,000 sale of his glass faucets and fittings because he could not accept credit
cards.
2009 – BigCommerce launches.

Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper co-founded BigCommerce in 2009 and introduced it that year as a
100% bootstrapped ecommerce storefront platform.
Since then, more than $8 billion in sales have been processed through the platform and the company
now has headquarters in Austin, San Francisco, and Sydney.
Other ecommerce technology platform providers launched in the same era. Shopify (2006) and Magento
(2008) are also recognized as market leaders alongside BigCommerce.
Internet Retailer’s 2018 Guide to the Top Ecommerce Platforms saw all 3 of these platforms on the list ––
with BigCommerce annual store growth and revenue numbers topping out at #1.
2011 – Google Wallet introduced as digital payment method.
Google Wallet was introduced in 2011 as a peer-to-peer payment service that enabled individuals to
send and receive money from a mobile device or desktop computer.
By linking the digital wallet to a debit card or bank account, users can pay for products or services via
these devices.
Today, Google Wallet has joined with Android Pay for what is now known as Google Pay.
2011 – Facebook rolls out sponsored stories as a form of early advertising.
In 2011, Facebook began rolling out early advertising opportunities to Business Page owners via
sponsored stories.
With these paid campaigns, ecommerce businesses could reach specific audiences using the social
network and get in the news feeds of di erent target audiences.
2011 – Stripe launches.
Stripe is a payment processing company built originally for developers. It was founded by John and
Patrick Collison.

2014 – Apple Pay introduced as mobile payment method.
As online shoppers began using their mobile devices more frequently, Apple introduced Apple Pay as a
mobile payment and digital wallet tool that allowed users to pay for products or services with an Apple
device.
2014 – Jet.com launches.
Jet.com was founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Marc Lore (who had sold his previous company,
Diapers.com, to Amazon.com) along with Mike Hanrahan and Nate Faust.
The company competes with Costco and Sam’s Club, catering to folks looking for the lowest possible
pricing for longer shipping times and bulk ordering.
2017 – Shoppable Instagram is introduced.
Instagram Shopping launched in 2017 first with ecommerce partner BigCommerce.
Since then, the service has expanded to additional ecommerce platforms and allows Instagram users to
immediately click an item, and go to that product’s product page for purchase.
2017 – Cyber Monday sales exceed $6.5B.
In 2017, ecommerce growth breaks a new record with online sales breaking $6.5 billion on Cyber
Monday – a 17% increase from the year before.
Mobile sales also break records with an excess of $2 billion in sales made via mobile devices.

The Impact of Ecommerce
The impact of ecommerce is far and wide with a ripple e ect on everything from small business to
global enterprise and beyond.
1. Large retailers are forced to sell online.
For many retailers, the growth of ecommerce has expanded their brands’ reach and has positively
impacted their bottom lines.
But for other retailers who have been slow to embrace the online
marketplace, the impact has been felt di erently.
At a high level, retailers that fall into the middleground are the ones feeling the biggest changes in
response to the impact of ecommerce.
Foursquare data shows discount stores and luxury retailers are maintaining their footholds with
consumers, but ecommerce adds to the fierce competition for retailers within the mid-tier.
Research also indicates that one type of retailer in particular has seen
a major impact from the rise of ecommerce: Department stores.

As Amazon becomes consumers’ go-to source for products traditionally purchased at department
stores, chains like Sears and Macy’s (for example) have seen decreased sales across the board.
Image source
2. Ecommerce helps small businesses sell directly to customers.
For many small businesses, ecommerce adoption has been a slow process.
However, those who’ve embraced it have discovered ecommerce can

open doors to new opportunities that were never possible before.
Slowly, small business owners are launching ecommerce stores and diversifying their o erings, reaching
more customers, and better accommodating customers who prefer online/mobile shopping.

Gallup research shows that 2 in 10 small businesses have expanded their ecommerce presence over the
last two years, and 11% say they plan to increase their ecommerce e orts in the coming year.
ONLINE B RA NDS MUST STA ND FOR SOMETHING TO STA ND OUT
Your customers aren’t just buying your product,

they’re buying into an identity.
Selling t-shirts is one thing; you may get some

sales and some devoted fans. But selling a lifestyle
of what those t-shirts unlock will lead to much
more long-term success.
Think about why people choose to wear a brand

like Patagonia, for example. They could easily
purchase the same exact apparel options at North Face, REI, or dozens more.
But Patagonia stands out because of the environmental activism. They practice
what they preach, they stand for something, and they’ve built a lifestyle around
their brand –– for people who love the outdoors and want to preserve it.
– Kayla Lewkowicz, Marketing Manager, Privy
3. B2B companies start o ering B2C-like online ordering experiences.
Data from Four51 indicates that in the B2B world, ecommerce will account for the majority of sales by as
soon as 2020 – while other data sets show that 79% if B2B customers already expect to be able to place
orders from an ecommerce website.
Ecommerce solutions enable self-service, provide more user-friendly platforms for price comparison,
and helps B2B brands better maintain relationships with buyers, too.

What’s more: Scholarly research indicates ecommerce has made a
large positive impact in the B2B market by enabling process
improvements and lowering operational costs overall.
REMEMB ER: B 2B CONSUMERS A RE A LSO B 2C CONSUME RS
B2B customers are thinking more like B2C

customers everyday, and need to be marketed to
accordingly.
B2B buyers are increasingly millennials, who

approach sales di erently. B2B brands need to be
online and adjusting their pitches and sales
technique for this new generation of buyer.
– Rieva Lesonsky, CEO, GrowBiz Media &

SmallBizDaily.com.
4. The rise of ecommerce marketplaces.
Ecommerce marketplaces have been on the rise around the world since the mid-1990s with the launch
of giants we know today as Amazon, Alibaba, and others.
In the chart below, we can see that Amazon is the outlier in regard to ecommerce marketplace growth,
but we can see that others are making headway.

Image source
By o ering a broad selection and extreme convenience to customers, they’ve been able to quickly scale
up through innovation and optimization on the go.
Amazon in particular is known for its unique growth strategy that has helped them achieve mass-
adoption and record-breaking sales.
But Amazon doesn’t do this alone. As of 2017, 51% of products sold on Amazon were sold by third-party
sellers (i.e. not Amazon).
Those sellers also make high profits from the sales on the marketplace, though they are required to
follow strict rules enforced by Amazon.

Find more statistics at Statista
5. Supply chain management has evolved.
Survey data shows that one of ecommerce’s main impacts on supply chain management is that it
shortens product life cycles.
As a result, producers are presenting deeper and broader assortments as a bu er against price erosion.
But, this also means that warehouses are seeing larger amounts of stock in and out of their facilities.
In response, some warehousers are now o ering value-added services to help make ecommerce and
retail operations more seamless and e ective.
These services include:

Separation of stock/storage for online vs. retail sales.
Di erent packaging services.
Inventory/logistics oversight.
6. New jobs are created but traditional retail jobs are reduced.
Jobs related to ecommerce is up 2x over the last five years, far outpacing other types of retail in regard
to growth.
However, growth in ecommerce jobs is only a small piece of the employment puzzle overall.
A few quick facts on how ecommerce has impacted employment:
Ecommerce jobs are up 334%, adding 178,000 jobs since 2002
Most ecommerce jobs are located in medium to large metropolitan areas
Most ecommerce companies have four or fewer employees
Scholars indicate that ecommerce will continue to directly and indirectly create new jobs in the high-
skill domains like the information and so ware sectors, as well as around increased demand for
productivity.
Researcher Nuray Terzia concludes:

“In addition to the net employment gains and
losses, ecommerce will have an impact on the
demand for certain skills. The evidence suggests
that ecommerce demands a whole set of new skills
where responsibilities and decision-making
becomes more information based.”
The flip side of this, however, is that upticks in e iciency paired with a shi away from traditional retail
may lead to some job losses or reductions in workforces as well.
As with any major market shi , there are both positive and negative
impacts on employment.
7. Customers shop di erently.
Ecommerce (and now omni-channel retail) has had a major impact on customers. It is revolutionizing
the way modern consumers shop.
Today, we know that 96% of Americans with access to the internet have made a purchase online at some
point in their lives and 80% have made a purchase online in the past month.

And not only do customers frequently use ecommerce sites to shop:
51% of Americans now prefer to shop online rather than in-store.
Millennials are the largest demographic of online shoppers (67%), but Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are
close behind at 56% and 41% participating in online shopping activities respectively.

OMNI- CHA NNEL CONSUMERS SPEND MORE, TOO
Omni-channel is where it’s at.
Take Carter’s for example. Only 12% of their

customers today are “multi-channel” or “omni-
channel” shoppers – meaning they shop in person
in stores and online. But, they spend 2X to 3X as
much as a single-channel customer (store-only or
online-only).
That leaves a lot of room for organic growth simply

by getting existing customers to use another channel (online or in person).
– Brett Owens, Marketing Director & Co-Founder, LeadDyno
8. Social media let’s consumers easily share products to buy online.
Researchers have discovered that ecommerce has made an interesting social impact; especially within
the context of social media.
Today, ecommerce shoppers discover and are influenced to purchase products or services based on
recommendations from friends, peers, and trusted sources (like influencers) on social networks like
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
In the International Journal of Market Research, M. Nick Hajili wrote:

“Trust, encouraged by social media, significantly
a ects intention to buy. Therefore, trust has a
significant role in ecommerce by directly
influencing intention to buy and indirectly
influencing perceived usefulness.”
If you’ve ever been inspired to buy a product you saw recommended on Facebook or featured in an
Instagram post, you’ve witnessed this social impact as it relates to ecommerce.

SOCIA L PROOF IS MODERN WORD OF MOUTH
Word of mouth is arguably the most important

marketing tactic of ANY business.
If you set up an ad that acquires a customer for

$10, that’s good. Assuming that’s profitable for you
based on your CoGs, etc., then keep scaling your
ads.
But if you can get 1 person to talk about your

brand with 10 of their friends and 5 of them buy…
And you repeat that for every customer that comes into your store…
You’ll get so many sales you won’t be able to keep up with inventory and shipping.
– William Harris, Ecommerce Marketing Expert, Elumynt
9. Global ecommerce is growing rapidly.
Around the world, ecommerce is growing.
Forbes reported in 2016 that 57% of people surveyed in 24 countries

across six continents had made an online purchase in the past six
months.
And ecommerce’s global impact has been especially large in countries like China – eclipsing growth in all
other countries.

Since 2014, China has seen major increases in sales each year – and it’s projected that by 2019, the
country will have nearly $2 billion in retail ecommerce sales on its own.
Image source
GLOB A L IS YOUR B IGGEST OPPORTUNITY
The biggest opportunity brands have today is

reach. Online brands have the possibility to reach
an unlimited audience globally. It’s very di icult to
do, but I believe that’s the greatest opportunity for
online businesses.
– Emil Kristensen, CMO and co-founder, Sleeknote.

Advantages of Ecommerce
Ecommerce has many di erent advantages – from faster buying to the ability to reach large audiences
24/7.
Let’s take a look in detail at some of the top perks it has to o er.
1. Faster buying for customers.
For customers, ecommerce makes shopping from anywhere and at any time possible.
That means buyers can get the products they want and need faster without being constrained by
operating hours of a traditional brick-and-mortar store.
Plus, with shipping upgrades that make rapid delivery available to customers, even the lag time of order
fulfillment can be minimal (think Amazon Prime Now, for example.)
2. Companies can easily reach new customers.
Ecommerce also makes it easier for companies to reach new customers all over the globe.
An ecommerce store isn’t tied to a single geographic location – it’s

open and available to any and all customers who visit it online.
With the added benefit of social media advertising, brands have the potential to connect with massive
relevant audiences who are in a ready-to-buy mindset.

B UILD A COMMUNITY FOR YOUR B RA ND .
Community building is a long term play and an

underrated asset. But for good reason: it’s hard to
build an authentic community.
Building a robust and lively Facebook community

at ConversionXL helped us tap into customer
insights and get natural customer feedback, but it
also opened a direct line of communication with
customers and fans of the brand in general.
The discussions that happen there now, organically, are amazing and the
community is a valuable thing on its own, outside of any branding/acquisition
concerns.
– Alex Birkett, Growth Marketing Manager, HubSpot
3. Lower operational costs.
Without a need for a physical storefront (and employees to sta it), ecommerce retailers can launch
stores with minimal operating costs.
As sales increase, brands can easily scale up their operations without having to make major property
investments or having to hire large workforces.
This means higher margins overall.
4. Personalized experiences.

With the help of automation and rich customer profiles, you can deliver highly personalized online
experiences for your ecommerce customers.
Showcasing relevant products based on past purchase behavior, for example, can lead to higher AOV
and makes the shopper feel like you truly understand him/her as an individual.
FOLLOW ING A MAZON’S PERSONA LIZED LEA D
In very recent history, Amazon Go’s blending of

technology and customer data to create a new
retail shopping experience is something all brands
need to examine for takeaways.
– Jordan Brannon, President, Coalition

Technologies

Disadvantages of Ecommerce
Although modern ecommerce is increasingly flexible today, it still has its own set of disadvantages.
Here are some of the downsides to ecommerce retail.
1. Limited interactions with customers.
Without being face-to-face, it can be harder to understand the wants, needs, and concerns of your
ecommerce customers.
There are still ways to gather this data (survey data, customer support interactions, etc.), but it does take
a bit more work than talking with shoppers in person on a day-to-day basis.

THE FLIP SID E OF FACE-TO- FACE
I think the biggest shi in retail in recent history is

the ability to have a direct conversation with your
customer.
In the past, CEOs wouldn’t necessarily be on the

front line of sales. But, with social media &
ecommerce, you have the ability to have a direct
conversation with a massive portion of your
customer base.
These conversations can lead to better marketing that speaks your customer’s
language, better products by asking your customer what they really want, more
successful product launches by gaining customer input, and direct advice on how
to improve overall.
– Eric Carlson, Co-Founder, 10x Factory
2. Technology breakdowns can impact ability to sell.
If your ecommerce website is slow, broken, or unavailable to customers, it means you can’t make any
sales.
Site crashes and technology failures can damage relationships with customers and negatively impact
your bottom line.
3. No ability to test or try-on.
For shoppers who want to get hands-on with a product (especially in the realm of physical goods like
clothing, shoes, and beauty products) the ecommerce experience can be limiting.

However, with the help of video, product images, and even VR
technology, companies are finding new ways to overcome this aspect
of the online shopping experience.

The Future of Ecommerce
Research predicts that the future of ecommerce is a bright one.
By 2022, ecommerce revenue in the U.S, alone is expected to reach $638 million, with the toys, hobby
and DIY vertical seeing the largest growth.
And it’s no passing trend, either.
Many Americans now see online shopping as a must-have: 40% say they can’t live without it.
Image source
It’s also interesting to note that looking ahead, ecommerce expert Gary Hoover’s data projects
ecommerce retail sales will eventually even out with that of brick and mortar.
This means that even though the online sales trend will continue to grow, there’s plenty of business to
go around.

But that’s not all.
Experts also predict that, soon, most ecommerce interactions will be an omni-channel experience for
shoppers.
This means they’ll expect to be able to research, browse, shop, and purchase seamlessly between
di erent devices and on di erent platforms (like a standalone web store, an Amazon presence, etc.)
Other trends to watch for in the future of ecommerce include:
Robust customer journeys and personalization.
Artificial intelligence-enabled shopping.
Digital currencies.
Overall, we have to remember that ecommerce is still fairly new in the big picture of retail.
The future holds endless opportunity, but its success and continuation
will largely depend on buyers’ preferences in the future.

FAQs About Ecommerce
What are the main features of an ecommerce website?
Most customers look for a few key features when evaluating an ecommerce website. These are elements
that improve the overall online shopping experience by making it highly functional and user-friendly.
Easy to use features: Simple navigation tools, easy checkout flows, etc.
Mobile compatibility: Compatible and functional on all mobile devices
Discount code and promotional capabilities: Allows shoppers to use discounts on-site
Security features: Payment processing is secure and reliable
Social proof: Validation from past customers and trusted sources
User-generated content: Reviews, ratings, and photos that add to the ethos of o erings
Is ecommerce safe?
Yes, ecommerce is safer than ever before.
With the help of multi-layered ecommerce security, monitored transactions, regular PCI scans, SSL
certification, protection against DoS/DDoS attacks, and hosting solutions that are PCI compliant,
ecommerce stores can o er shoppers the peace of mind that their online purchases are made in a 100%
safe and secure environment.
What is ecommerce fulfillment?
Ecommerce fulfillment encapsulates the entire process of receiving an order and shipping it to the
customer.

This includes all of the operational and logistical steps that are part of this process, such as inventory
management, warehouse organization, order oversight, packaging and shipping, and customer
communication regarding order fulfillment.
This aspect of an ecommerce store can be outsourced to an order fulfillment service or managed via
dropshipping.
What is an ecommerce marketplace?
An ecommerce marketplace is a type of site where products or services are sold and then processed by
the marketplace operator.
These include selling platforms like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay, for example, which are o en part of an
omni-channel sales strategy.
What are some examples of popular online marketplaces?
Amazon.
eBay.
Alibaba.
Etsy.
Walmart.
Jet.
Overstock.
Newegg.
Rakuten.
What is an ecommerce platform?

An ecommerce platform is a so ware tool that allows retailers to build and customize digital storefronts
and to manage their website, sales, and ecommerce operations from a central hub.
BigCommerce is an example of an ecommerce platform.
What is a hosted ecommerce platform?
A hosted ecommerce platform is one that handles all website hosting responsibilities rather than
requiring the individual to do so via a third party solution.
This removes much of the complexities around managing the so ware of your ecommerce operation
and is o en cheaper than self-hosting.
In hosted ecommerce platforms, the platform handles updates, security, and other related tasks for the
store owner, who is essentially renting the so ware from them. BigCommerce is an example of a hosted
(SaaS) platform.

Further Reading
The Benefits of Headless Commerce
How to (Realistically) Start an Online Ecommerce Business That Actually Grows
The 19 Ecommerce Trends + 147 Online Shopping Stats Fueling Sales Growth in 2018
Ecommerce Shipping: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Shipping Profitability
The 19 Most Innovative Ecommerce Brands of 2018
30 Proven Ways To Drive Ecommerce Tra ic and Conversions To Your Online Store
Need Ecommerce Business Ideas? 27 Experts Give You Their Best Online Store Opportunities For
2018

Additional Ecommerce Resources
Wikipedia’s page explaining ecommerce
BigCommerce resource center
A Better Lemonade Stand’s ecommerce resource center


Ecommerce 101+ History of Online Shopping

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Ecommerce 101+ History of Online Shopping

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Ecommerce 101 + The History of Online

Shopping: What The Past Says About

When it comes to ecommerce, a word that first comes to mind is growth.

Globally, ecommerce growth projections are also on an upward trajectory:

Growing your high-volume or established business?

Even more data reinforces the ecommerce growth trend:

Shoppers spend 36% of their budget online on average (BigCommerce)

U.S. Department of Commerce data shows that ecommerce sales

Growing your high-volume or established business?

There has never been an easier time in history to

The cost of entry is lower than ever before. The

– Eric Carlson, Co-Founder, 10x Factory

Growing your high-volume or established business?

Growing your high-volume or established business?

Let’s look at each type of electronic commerce in a bit more detail.

B2C ecommerce encompasses transactions made between a business and a consumer.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

Training your customers to use the new B2B tools

Changing the way some customers do business

Position the change in a way that makes your

– Andy Etemadi, CEO, EYEMAGINE

Growing your high-volume or established business?

Growing your high-volume or established business?

It was initially introduced about 40 years ago in its earliest form.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

1969 – CompuServe is founded.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

1979 – Michael Aldrich invents electronic shopping.

1982 – Boston Computer Exchange launches.

1992 – Book Stacks Unlimited launches as first online book marketplace.

1994 – Netscape Navigator launches as a web browser.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

1995 – Amazon and eBay launch.

Je Bezos introduced Amazon in 1995 primarily as an ecommerce platform for books.

1998 – PayPal launches as ecommerce payment system.

1999 – Alibaba launches.

2000 – Google introduces Google AdWords as an online advertising tool.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

2005 – Amazon introduces Amazon Prime membership.

2005 – Etsy is launched.

2009 – Square launches.

2009 – BigCommerce launches.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

2011 – Google Wallet introduced as digital payment method.

2011 – Facebook rolls out sponsored stories as a form of early advertising.

2011 – Stripe launches.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

2014 – Jet.com launches.

2017 – Shoppable Instagram is introduced.

Instagram Shopping launched in 2017 first with ecommerce partner BigCommerce.

2017 – Cyber Monday sales exceed $6.5B.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

1. Large retailers are forced to sell online.

Growing your high-volume or established business?

2. Ecommerce helps small businesses sell directly to customers.

However, those who’ve embraced it have discovered ecommerce can

Growing your high-volume or established business?

ONLINE B RA NDS MUST STA ND FOR SOMETHING TO STA ND OUT

Your customers aren’t just buying your product,

Selling t-shirts is one thing; you may get some

Think about why people choose to wear a brand

– Kayla Lewkowicz, Marketing Manager, Privy

3. B2B companies start o ering B2C-like online ordering experiences.

Growing your high-volume or established business?