May
30

History Of Online Shopping

HISTORY OF ONLINE SHOPPING

Online shopping is a way of life for a lot of people nowadays. So much so that some of us cannot imagine life without it anymore. It has linked and connected people and businesses all over the world with just a click of a mouse button. But have you ever stopped and thought about how online shopping came about, and how e-commerce all began?

Online shopping is a fairly recent phenomenon that has made the live of millions of people all over the world easier and so much more convenient. Let us take a trip down memory road and discover the humble beginnings of online shopping and how it grew from there.

The origins of online shopping can be traced as recently as the 1990s. Technological breakthroughs and updates were constantly being discovered that eventually led to the invention of online shopping. Such discoveries include the invention and creation of the World Wide Web browser by a man named Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. After that, Online Banking was created and developed in 1994. The first online pizza shop was eventually invented and launched in 1994 by Pizza Hut. A number of other businesses followed.

Right about the same time, Netscape started working on SSL encryption and eventually introduced it to the public. SSL encryption or Secure Socket Layer encryption allows the encryption of data or information that is transferred online. This keeps the customer’s personal information secure and protected. This eventually became the heart and soul of online shopping because without it, your personal information can just be stolen by anybody out there. Internet businesses began taking advantage of this technology very soon, starting with the popular online bookstore Amazon in 1995, and followed by the online auction store eBay the following year. From then on, many other businesses followed suit.