E-Commerce, a Brief History

Intro

While the e-commerce marketplace lacks an exact origin story, notable global events converged since around the mid-1990’s to give form to arguably the largest overhaul of commerce on the planet. Since it’s inception, this new marketplace disrupted nearly every business that sells goods or services. And while some companies went out of business entirely, many companies adapted & flourished. Those companies who instinctively adapted represent the cornerstone of e-commerce: to push the market’s boundaries every single day.

Notable Events

Just before the turn of the century, the market was facing a growing demand for quicker access to information, shifting consumer expectations, and a growing need to provide a simpler process to securely exchange virtual payments.

• 1994

  • During a period of time when only dozens of websites lived on the Internet, one of the first recorded online transactions took place when some college students from Stanford sold a Sting album on the NetMarket.

• 1995

  • Using the garage in his parents’ rented home, an entrepreneur launched a digital bookstore and had shipped orders to every U.S., as well as dozens of countries internationally. Since then, Amazon.com’s success in digitizing the shopping experience has served as one of the most notable proof-of-concepts, fortifying the importance of continuous adaptation in an unknown frontier.

  • Around the same time, another entrepreneur launched a relatively similar marketplace centered around connecting buyers to interested sellers. With the foresight to offer consumers a safe and easy shopping experience while still dedicating focus on providing digital real estate for merchants (in the form of web traffic & simplified virtual storefronts), eBay’s early vision secured itself an early dominant position.

• 1999

  • Facing the fast growing virtual demand for online shopping, more entrepreneurs stepped into the spotlight to provide a more secure process to exchange payments. After PayPal released its first electronics payment system in the late 90’s, it continued to expand its product offering by providing a variety of payment solutions to target even more consumers (ie. Venmo and Braintree).

• 2000

  • In a humble warehouse located in Southern California, Ramp Logistics opened its doors & began shipping orders.

• 2004

  • The first iteration of the e-commerce marketplace were physically limited to desktop computers, until the mid-2000s. Mobile phone manufacturers raced to produce hand held devices capable of accessing the Internet.

• 2006

  • Launch of Shopify as an online platform for virtual merchants.

• 2007

  • At the direction of Steve Jobs, Apple reinvents the mobile phone with its first ever internet-accessible handheld mobile device called “iPhone”.

• 2010

  • The early 2010’s introduced a new chapter to e-commerce. Commonly called “social media e-commerce” enables customers to purchase products from within social media platforms.

Conclusion

E-commerce has revolutionized almost every aspect of the marketplace — from the way businesses operate to how consumers expect to shop. By offering increased accessibility, reliable service through improved efficiencies, many existing businesses continue to thrive and newer businesses continue to grow. However, there are still challenges that require constant navigation.

With success and growth, companies often face the same dilemma. Do you stay the course without changing any processes? Or, in an effort to continue expanding your operation, identify & select strategical partners who you trust so you can focus your energy on growing your business without being pulled into managing the day-to-day repetitive aspects.

Resources

As competition in the e-commerce marketplace grows, brand-owners must carefully decide where their limited time, focus & energy are dedicated. And if you need a partner to support your e-commerce or B2B fulfillment, please consider joining our waitlist. Then, shortly after signing up, one of our logistics experts will get in touch with you.

For over 20+ years, brands have trusted Ramp to ship their customer orders, and so much more. Using direct plug-ins and pre-built connectors, you can easily connect the most popular systems to Ramp with little-to-no code programming required. Using Ramp’s vast logistics network, you’ll have the peace-of-mind that you’re in great hands as you continue to grow your business.

Ready to get started? Get connected with one of Ramp’s logistics experts today.