Origins of E-Commerce - Essay Example

1. Origins of e-commerce: What kinds of business information systems did they use then and now?
Boston Computer Exchange was the world's first e-commerce company and conquered electronic trading in used systems in the US in the 1980s. At first, it was a paper database but rapidly moved into a computerized database using Alpha 2 database manager on a dual floppy IBM PC. But it wasn’t until the late 90s, as the olden times of e-commerce reflect, things began to speed up. Now such systems are replaced by high-speed internet connections, a combination of security protocols, and quicker online transaction capability which has also provided a boost to e-commerce (Alexandra, 2008).

2. (Historical "blast from past"): What was interesting/informative here? What still applies?
E-commerce has progressed from online billboards to an entirely functional, personalized shopping incidence over the past decade. This whole process was full of experiments and had lots of troubles along the way. E-commerce technologies first came into sight in the late 1970s when the implementation of electronic transactions between businesses, in addition to the exchange of information, which was done in the form of electronic purchase orders and invoices. The evolution period discussed is interesting which has allowed consumers to have an online shopping experience and this is the concept that still applies. The example that we can relate to here is Amazon.com which has spent years reaching the position where it stands today (charger, 2007).

3. (How to create a successful e-commerce Web site): What do you need to have/do? Use your own words, and don't copy/paste from copyrighted material online (yes, everything online is copyrighted even if it's free!)
Starting an e-commerce business these days is easier than it has ever been. Now we have an abundance of tools, software, expert professionals, and numerous resources which can easily teach us the exact path. Next, it is required to choose a definite and targeted niche market. After selecting this it is suggested to go for ready-made e-commerce shopping cart systems that are web-based, which allows you to save time. You can use this time to market your site and get more traffic. The last thing which is required to focus on is carefully designing and testing back-end processes. If appropriate time is not spent on the front and back-end processes it may end up with a lot of irritable customers which will affect your brand or profitability in the long run. An example of a specific company to which we can relate here is ebay.com which has made long-term investments in research and development and made a perfect online solution (Allbusiness.com, 2006).
4. (E-commerce evolution): How was it different from now? Give specific examples from your own experience and what you have been reading/hearing about

Smaller towns now and again have catalog stores, whereas a large merchant doesn’t see a local requirement to keep a store stocked with products, so they instead provide a storefront where clients can come in and look at catalogs, and order. Sears is a company that functions as a catalog store (or at least it used to), and Service Merchandise operates as a catalog store for much of its “stock” (ware, 2009). Read More