{"id":1077,"date":"2019-01-04T05:25:45","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T13:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/?p=1077"},"modified":"2025-12-01T05:15:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T13:15:14","slug":"the-evolution-of-the-ecommerce-customer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/the-evolution-of-the-ecommerce-customer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of the eCommerce Customer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A brief timeline of digital consumer behaviour<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ASource<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

By 2020, brick and mortar retail spaces will be little more than showrooms.\u201d \u2013 Eddie Machaalani & Mitchell Harper<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

As an eCommerce business, it always pays to understand your consumer base in greater depth and a big part of that lies in understanding the landscape that surrounds you. <\/span><\/p>\n

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), virtual reality (VR), <\/span>chatbots<\/span><\/a>, personalization and a host of other disruptive technologies changing the way consumers interact with today\u2019s brands, eCommerce business owners must respond to these seismic shifts and leverage these new developments to remain competitive in the digital age.<\/span><\/p>\n

But how did we get here and how have advancements in technology steered the evolution of the eCommerce consumer over the decades? By understanding how eCommerce – and eCommerce consumers – have changed over time, you\u2019ll gain a broader insight into the industry and, in turn, gain an all-important competitive edge in today\u2019s cutthroat commercial environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back can be as valuable as analyzing your present or looking into the future and here, we\u2019re going to look at the origins of eCommerce and how the behavior of online consumers has transformed over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/b>When did eCommerce begin?<\/b><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The history of eCommerce – or electronic commerce – has close ties to the invention and development of the Internet, but it\u2019s possible to trace the first incarnation of eCommerce back to the 1970s where <\/span>Electronic Data Interchanges<\/span><\/a> and teleshopping built the foundations of online shopping in its more modern form.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s said that UK inventor, <\/span> Michael Aldrich<\/span> , pioneered the concept of online shopping in 1979 by connecting a modified version of a regular television through a telephone line to a real-time-based, multi-user processing computer. In short, this system allowed consumers to purchase goods and services remotely, in a visual sense, for the first time ever – and it became particularly popular in the business-to-business world.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Internet became public in 1991, eCommerce as we know it today came to fruition and as you may have guessed, <\/span>Amazon<\/span><\/a> was one of the first sites open to online shoppers, paving the way for the many brands, businesses and service providers that followed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/b>The eCommerce consumer timeline<\/b><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

“History never really says goodbye. History says, ‘See you later.'” – Eduardo Galeano<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

From its primitive roots in the late 1970s right through to its modern day cultural significance, here we explore the primary shifts in eCommerce over the decade and how it has shaped people’s buying habits.<\/span><\/p>\n

1980s<\/b><\/h3>\n

During the 1980s, the first-ever personal computer was launched by <\/span> IBM . Not only did this invention offer consumers a means of storing and processing information electronically, but more significantly, it offered businesses a means of creating more meaningful relationships with their customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The launch and development of the PC during this decade gave forward-thinking retailers the tools to store, arrange and analyze consumer information, empowering them to offer their target customers deals both in-store and via post while providing a more tailored customer experience rather than simply pushing their products on people.<\/span><\/p>\n

While in the 1980s, the vast majority of retail customers shopped in brick-and-mortar stores, it was this decade in which the retailer-shopper relationship became more closely-knit, with consumers demanding more from retailers in terms of innovation and service.<\/span><\/p>\n

1990s<\/b><\/h3>\n

During the 1990s, the World Wide Web became widely accessible to consumers and as such, a total of <\/span>16 million internet users<\/span><\/a> were recorded worldwide. Moreover, In 1996, those in the US were reported to spend an average of <\/span>30 minutes online<\/span><\/a>. And, in 1998, Google was unleashed on the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over this 10-year period, the rise in retailer websites, the launch of the likes of Amazon and PayPal, the introduction of the search engine and a significant surge in international internet use made shoppers more information-hungry, inquisitive and hungry for convenience.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the decade, Yahoo! Stores online entered the eCommerce arena, an event that increased the popularity of online shopping. While on the whole, the consumers of the 90s still prefered to shop in-store, the technological developments of the 1990s served to prepare people for the eCommerce explosion that was soon to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

2000s<\/b><\/h3>\n

Post-millennium, the world of eCommerce started to expand and evolve at an exponential rate. In 2002, <\/span>558 million people<\/span><\/a> were using the Internet worldwide and advancements in website functionality began to make the online shopping experience all the more convenient.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, it was during this decade that Google and other search engines became an everyday research tool for consumers, meaning that more people than ever conducted extensive research before purchasing a product.<\/span><\/p>\n

From 2000 to 2010, a sharp shift towards online shopping became apparent across the globe with the prevalence of social media in addition to the invention of the iPhone in 2007, empowering consumers to conduct research, connect with their peers and buy products from retailers while on the move.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of the decade, the eCommerce customer was well and truly in the driving seat, with brands required to offer more value, flexibility and information than ever to entice repeat custom and brand loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Present<\/b><\/h3>\n

Experts project that global eCommerce sales will soar to <\/span>$4.5 trillion<\/span><\/a> by the year 2021, with the overall share of eCommerce profits <\/span>spreading beyond the Western World.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

As a shopping species, we\u2019re now more connected, more tuned in, more curious, more information-rich and more reliant on the reviews, opinions and validation of our peers than ever before. It\u2019s a brave new world where the possibilities are seemingly endless.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What we can learn<\/b><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Being an ambitious eCommerce business, you will no doubt be aware of the core habits, wants, needs and demands of today\u2019s online shoppers, as well as the technology people use to purchase products and services, but here are three observations that define the general outlook of today\u2019s digital consumers:<\/span><\/p>\n