Who Invented Online Shopping? E-Commerce’s Start

Online shopping is the business term used to refer to the process that customers go through to avail services or buy products that can be accessed with the use of the Internet. Some of the entities that act as retail stores in this process are the webshop, online shop, virtual store as well as the Internet shop. This process is a special kind of electronic commerce that is used for business-to consumer as well as business-to-business transactions. To know more about this, let us have a look at the history of the development of online shopping

History

Who invented online shopping? This process was invented by Rediffusion Computers employee Michael Aldrich in Great Britain in 1979. In order to prove that the process would work, Aldrich used an efficient technology that has Videotex. Two years after the launch of online shopping, the first business-to-business transaction happened with the initiative from Thomson Holidays. After this, both business-to-consumer as well as business-to-business transactions were widely used in the area in the 1980s.

Gateshead, England resident Jane Snowball was the first online shopper who purchased items from Tesco. The transaction happened in May 1984. Six years after this event, the first browser as well as a server that could be used to access the World Wide Web were introduced. In 1992, Book Stacks Unlimited, a website developed by Charles stock was known as the first web bookstore. After two years, Amazon, another popular online bookstore was created by Jeff Bezos. In 1994, different online shops were created. These include online banks as well as the online retail shop of Pizza Hut. To ensure that transactions were secured, the SSL data transferred online encryption were launched by Netscape.

Additional Information and Other Important Details

Some of the advantages of online shopping are the increase in commoditization as well as competitors’ rivalry. Other benefits that online shoppers can get from the process are the consumers’ bargaining power, the power of suppliers and the threat from new entrants.

Online shopping is one of the most convenient ways of purchasing items as well as availing services. To confirm the transaction, the webshop usually sends an email to the customer. Payments can be made through various ways like with the use of debit cards, credit cards, postal money order and gift cards. The items purchased would be shipped to the address of consumers. Additional charges might be added for the shipment of the products. Shipment might take a week to a month.

Who invented online shopping?
Michael Aldrich, a British innovator and Rediffusion Computers employee, invented online shopping in 1979. He connected a modified TV to a real-time transaction-processing computer using a telephone line, laying the groundwork for e-commerce.
Aldrich used Videotex technology, which allowed users to interact with a central computer through a television set, to demonstrate the feasibility of shopping online.
In May 1984, Jane Snowball from Gateshead, England, became the first online shopper, ordering groceries from Tesco using a TV and remote control.
In 1981, the first B2B transaction occurred when Thomson Holidays started using Aldrich’s online system, proving that e-commerce could work for business transactions as well.
Book Stacks Unlimited, developed by Charles Stack in 1992, was the first online bookstore. This was followed by Amazon, launched by Jeff Bezos in 1994, which quickly revolutionized e-commerce.
In 1994, businesses like Pizza Hut began offering online ordering, and online banks also emerged. That same year, Netscape introduced SSL encryption to secure online transactions.
Customers can pay using credit/debit cards, gift cards, money orders, or other digital payment methods. Purchased items are shipped to their address, with delivery times ranging from a week to a month, depending on location and service.
Online shopping offers convenience, increased competition, greater bargaining power for consumers, and a wider selection of products. It also enables easy comparison between sellers and better access to niche items.

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