Major ecommerce milestones
1991 – The World Wide Web is created
1994 – Netscape launches Navigator, the first widely-used web browser, and Pizza Hut offers online ordering on their website
1995 – eBay is founded & Amazon makes its first sale
1996 – Over 40 million people have Internet access, and online sales surpass $1 billion for the year
1998 – PayPal is founded, and changes the way people make payments online
2000 – Revenue from U.S. online shopping totals over $25 billion
2001 – 70% of Internet users make an online purchase during the holiday season
2003 – Apple launches iTunes, the first major digital music store
2005 – The term “Cyber Monday” is coined and becomes one of the biggest online shopping days of the year
2006 – Facebook begins selling advertisements
2008 – Online purchases are made on mobile phones for the first time
2012 – Online B2C sales surpass $1 trillion
The Growth of Ecommerce
Ecommerce Sales in the U.S.
Ecommerce sales have continued to grow steadily, with the total sales increasing 135% from 2009 to 2015.
The Growing Importance of Ecommerce
Ecommerce has not only grown in total revenue, but also continued to make up a larger share of the total retail sales made in the United States.
The Ecommerce Industry Today
There are now more than 800,000 stores online.
78% of US adults have made a purchase online, and 69% of adults with Internet access shop online at least once a month.
Online sales by Product Category
The most commonly purchased items online are electronics (22%) and clothing (17%).
Looking to the Future: Mobile Commerce & Personalization
Ecommerce is continuing to evolve, and two of the most important trends for online retailers today are mobile commerce and personalization.
In 2015, 30% of ecommerce sales took place on a mobile device, and mobile commerce is expected to grow 2.58x faster than total ecommerce sales.
56% of consumers say they would be more included to use a retailer if it offered a personalized experience, and 74% of online shoppers get frustrated when websites show content that has nothing to do with their interests.