The Evolution of e-Commerce and Same Day Delivery
E-commerce has revolutionized the way we shop. If we want to buy anything, we’re no longer compelled to drive to a brick-and-mortar store to get what we want. We only need to log online and purchase from our favorite shopping websites or apps. The order will be at our doorstep in a couple of days—or even a matter of hours if same-day delivery is available.
How did e-commerce come about in the first place? Let’s look at the evolution of e-commerce and how it became ubiquitous today.
Ecommerce has been around longer than we realize
You may be surprised to know that e-commerce isn’t really a new concept. It first came around in 1979, when English entrepreneur and inventor Michael Aldrich created teleshopping. Teleshopping involves connecting consumers and businesses through a telephone line linked to a modified TV and a computer.
However, teleshopping didn’t take off back then because the internet wasn’t widely available yet. Later technological developments, like the availability of more user-friendly home computers and the Netscape Navigator browser, began to pave the way for basic online commerce.
Amazon changes the e-commerce game
And then, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1995, initially as an electronic bookstore operated from Bezos’ garage. Amazon sales exploded within two months of its founding. Soon, it expanded and became the place where you can buy almost anything. More importantly, you can have what you purchased delivered to your doorstep in a couple of days. In 2005, Amazon introduced its Prime membership service, where members can get their items delivered quickly for free, among other perks.
Amazon’s launching became a turning point in e-commerce history. Its growth dramatically changed the marketplace and led to the so-called “Amazon effect.” The Amazon effect refers to how e-commerce and online shopping changed customers’ behavior and how they interacted with businesses.
Through the Amazon effect, customers discovered how convenient online shopping is. They can search for the items they need, with the specifications they require and at the lowest price possible. And they don’t have to go to a mall or drive from store to store just to find what they want. If they have a positive experience with a retailer, they’re more likely to return and buy more. This includes getting their purchases delivered as quickly as possible.
It isn’t just consumers that felt the Amazon effect. Businesses did, too. Brick-and-mortar stores had to adopt online shopping platforms so they could keep their clients and stay afloat. Retailers, in general, have to create unique and positive customer experiences so they won’t lose sales to their competitors.
Same-day delivery: the next phase of e-commerce
Amazon isn’t stopping from finding ways to serve its customers better. In 2020, it began to offer same-day delivery in select cities for an extra fee. Amazon Prime members, however, can get same-day delivery free.
Consumers want same-day delivery and are willing to pay more for it. If they can’t get same-day delivery from a store, they’d consider walking away from their shopping cart. Retailers now face the challenge of catering to this specific demand or risk losing even their most loyal customers.
The history of e-commerce has come a long way from its starting point. It’s not likely to go away anytime soon. And if you’re in the retail industry, you must move along with the change so your company would continue to grow and thrive.
PearlTrans Logistics understands the nuances of e-commerce. We help companies move their products in the soonest time possible.
