“There have been three phases in ecommerce development. The first phase started with the ‘.com’ boom of the mid-to-late 1990s and lasted through the early 2000s,” Tom Barone, VP, North America Operations at eBay Enterprise tells fibre2fashion.
In explaining the history and development of ecommerce in North America, Barone further says, “This was the period that saw the launch of ecommerce pure plays and new business models like eBay Marketplaces and PayPal. Not surprisingly, models that were generating revenue and profits ultimately made it through.”
He adds, “The second phase saw established retailers starting to take notice as the ecommerce pure plays began to chip away at their dominance and act as a key driver of growth. As we all know, ecommerce was, and is, growing at a much faster rate than traditional retail.
“As a result, ecommerce became an important new channel for established retailers; and over the time, brands also got involved in selling direct to consumers. New pure plays with viable business models also continued to advance.”
“Today, we find ourselves in the third phase of ecommerce - in a world where customers are truly hyper connected, demanding revolutionary commerce experiences while becoming more challenging to reach,” he explains by saying. (AR)
