We often use the term e-commerce, sometimes written as eCommerce. When we talk about AMS Fulfillment providing e-commerce and being in operation for more than twenty years, the history of e-commerce becomes an interesting question. What exactly is it and how, exactly did it begin? Let’s look into it.
As we know, commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services. Commerce is far from new. Human society has been creating, selling and buying for a long, long time. But when and how did we begin to buy and sell goods and services electronically, no longer driving to the store downtown with some dollars in the billfold… instead, turning on the computer with a card in hand?
Types of E-Commerce
AMS Fulfillment services the following types of e-commerce: B2C (Business-to-Consumer), and B2B (Business-to-Business). There is another type, C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer) found on digital platforms like eBay or Etsy, or the Facebook marketplace.
AMS provides omnichannel fulfillment, which is a selling strategy where businesses market their products through multiple sales channels while inventory information is centralized and accommodates all of the channels.
The History of E-Commerce
The history of e-commerce begins in the 1960s. Electronic shopping was invented in 1979 and the internet was launched to the public in 1991. Retail giants like Amazon and eBay were created and launched in the mid-1990s.
Businesses share digital invoices and orders through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and this is what originated in the 1960s. CompuServe laid the groundwork for dial-up data networks in 1969. It was 1979 when an inventor named Michael Aldrich connected a TV to a computer via a phone line, inventing electronic shopping.
It was 1991 when the World Wide Web opened to the general public. Netscape Navigator allowed for secure online transactions in 1994. Amazon and eBay launched in 1995 and PayPal in 1998.
Fulfillment Services
With the rise in e-commerce, there came a need for fulfillment services. History tells us there was a dot-com bust in the early 2000s but survivors grew and expanded, and consumers began to trust in e-commerce. We also saw an increase in e-commerce with the invention and use of smartphones. By the 2020s online shopping had become modern retail, and it continues to be. So, there we have it… the history of e-commerce. This is a story that we have lived, and there are more than a few of us who have watched the Internet being born.
AMS Fulfillment’s History
AMS began warehousing and fulfilling in the early 2000s, and the company grew with the growth of e-commerce. Businesses needed to rely on a fulfillment service to warehouse and pick, pack and ship their products sold online. AMS handled both B2C and B2B fulfillment with exceptional service, and the business expanded to multi locations and grew to provide a number of other services such as returns management, kitting and much more.
We can safely say that the e-commerce beginning was around 60 years ago but we weren’t buying online until the 1990s. We are so accustomed today to buying products online that it’s hard to imagine not having the option of doing so. E-commerce is a very enjoyable and convenient way of filling some of our commerce needs.
We still need to visit the brick-and-mortar stores and definitely the grocery store, so let’s just say we’re grateful for all good things. One of those very good things is e-commerce and the fulfillment services that help to make it so reliable.
Perhaps one of these days we’ll offer the history of AMS Fulfillment. That will be enjoyable, and an interesting exploration into how to do business with integrity and grow and expand with a whole lot of services and happy and successful clients.
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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.
