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A Tale of Two Revolutions - Ecommerce: A Historical Perspective
The World As It Then Was The dynamic economic growth of the late 19th century placed greater and greater demand on horses to deliver manufactured goods between train and local destinations. Horses pulled stagecoaches, buggies, omnibuses, cabs and even shipping barges in canals. Hitching posts, mounting blocks, and water troughs were everywhere throughout cities in Europe and America. Beautiful carriage houses catered to the wealthy. Horse doctors were highly respected and treated humans as well. Blacksmiths were prominent members of every community. On the farms, horses pulled wagons laden with supplies, and carried saddled riders throughout the rough terrains. Stronger and larger horses were bred to pull the new plowing and reaping machines. Carriage makers, harness makers, feed merchants, hardware producers, farm equipment manufacturers and the great livestock industry all thrived on the horse. The World Changing Invention In 1885 Karl Benz invented the first gasoline-powered automobile, with a lot of help from his wife Bertha. Other makers followed, but the auto was very expensive and generally considered a recreational vehicle for the elite. The Transportation Revolution In 1903, Henry Ford incorporated the Ford Motor Company in the United States proclaiming, "I will build a car for the great multitude." By 1908, he was offering the Model T for $950 and by 1914; Ford had invented the first conveyor belt assembly line. He was able to produce a Model T every 93 minutes, which was eventually lowered to every 27 seconds! He reduced the workday to three 8-hour shifts and paid his workers five dollars a day; double what other manufacturers were paying! Wondrous Freedom Can you imagine the joy? People could now explore long distances from home and return easily on the same day! Suburbs were created away from work in the cities. National highways were created. Recreational travel became popular as people experienced the unbelievable freedom of affordable automobiles. It must have been amazing to live in such times watching the complete transformation of society from top to bottom. What Happened to the Blacksmiths? The Blacksmiths, carriage makers, horse doctors, and horse driven industries would suffer tremendous change and downsizing; a transportation revolution was underway. Mercifully the changes took place over a couple decades. There would be a messy transition period as horses and gasoline powered vehicles shared the same roads. Another World Changing Invention In 1969, The Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Defense Department created a system that could transmit information between military installations through a network of geographically separated computers called the ARPAnet. They invented revolutionary new technology to accomplish this success. As the technology grew, this Internet, as it soon would be called, became the domain of scientists, university researchers, government entities and intellectual elites. But if your work wasn't included in this circle, the Internet was a government mystery. The Information Revolution Tim Berners-Lee could be considered, "The Henry Ford of the Internet" because like Ford, he brought a fantastic invention, enjoyed by the elite, to the mainstream customer. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee proposed a new project at CERN, a research organization out of Geneva where he worked that would build upon a pet project he built for his own computer in 1980. Modeled after how he saw the human brain organize information, it enabled him to link one piece of information in one file to another file, "to keep track of all the random associations one comes across in real life" but that our brains often forget. He called the program, "Enquire" which was short for "Enquire Within Upon Everything", a British encyclopedia he had used in childhood. The guiding principle of Tim's new project was unlimited expansion. He would design a system with no central control or index and would therefore be infinite in capacity. If it worked, it could dramatically change the nature of the Internet, which most people still had never heard of, much less ever used. Tim would call his new invention WorldWideWeb. WWW: Information Without Limits Tim designed an addressing structure so that each web site, would have a specific location called the "Universal Resource Locator" (URL) He put together an easy to learn coding system called HyperText Mark-Up Language (HTML), so that files could be linked to one another allowing people to "jump" from one page to another, across unlimited amounts of files on unlimited numbers of computers. The rules he designed to facilitate this were called the HyperText Transfer Protocol. (HTTP) The First Browser By 1990, he created the first browser-editor to employ the new rules and coding; he called it the "WorldWideWeb". In 1991 the World Wide Web debuted bringing order and clarity immediately to the murky and mysterious Internet. Anyone could use Tim's browser and connect to anyone's computer with a URL (web address) jumping from computer to computer through Tim's updated version of Enquire. A new and vast information system was now coming to the masses of ordinary people. The terms "Internet" and "World Wide Web" are now used synonymously but as you can see, they were once vastly different. Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of the World Wide Web and within five years of his invention, Internet use grew from 60,000 to 40 million. As of March 24, 2005, there were 888,681,131 Internet users worldwide or 13.9% of total world population. In North America there were 328,387,059 Internet users or 67.4% of the population. Internet usage grew 146.2% last year alone. There was a whole new class of millionaires created by the dot-com expansion of the 1990's and it's now hard to find a major business without a website. This is a revolution like none other in history and it's happening now. Business Freedom and E-commerce With corresponding breakthroughs in digital payment systems, including credit cards and electronic checks, Internet sales systems such as the online shopping cart allow anyone to browse and also purchase goods and services from any computer on the Web. Today there are still a few "blacksmiths" who believe the old ways are better, and maybe for those stalwarts of the brick and mortar economy, the old ways are better. But households are becoming more and more comfortable shopping from hundreds of millions of home computers worldwide. Total e-commerce sales in the United States for 2004 is $69.2 billion, as estimated by the Census Bureau, increasing from 23.5 percent over 2003. Anyone can have a website and sell products online to anyone in the world. "I Was Born On the Internet" There is now a whole generation who grew up using the Internet and they have no problem buying or selling products and services online. Shopping is convenient, fast and the delivered directly to home or business. The Global Economy The global economy now makes it easy to import and export online worldwide. Flowers are grown in South America, sold in the United States and managed from a company in Holland. Salmon is sold directly from fisherman in Alaska. Prices can be compared to similar products around the world. Merchants no longer need to maintain large stocks of products in buildings. An online store can take an order, process the payment, deposit it into the merchant's bank account, and a different company called a "drop shipper" can fulfill the sale and send out the merchandise. Encouragement From Uncle Sam According to the Small Business Administration, "The Internet is proving to be a significant business leveler, allowing small and medium-size companies to compete with the giants on the same global playing field...Whether you are a consumer or a business-to-business resource, some of the most efficient marketing and selling tools are available via the Internet, and the potential of reaching a vast audience is open to you through the World Wide Web." Conclusion: Are You Part of the Revolution? In 1905 one might ask, "Are you delivering your products by horse, or have you purchased a Ford motorized delivery wagon? In 2005 people are asking, "Can I buy your products online or do I have to get in my car and come out to your store? What's your web address?" If you haven't jumped in, it's never too late. The Information Revolution has only just begun. Rick David writes for a Merchant Newsletter @Merchant America. He also writes a humor column called,"Don't Laugh It Could Happen To You" for http://sandiego.merchantamerica.com.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Chesney nominated for 7 CMAs ... Hoffman: I'm not playing Penguin ... 'RocknRolla' No. 1 at U.K. box office ... Jessica Simpson stops song on 'GMA' ... News from United Press International. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. DailyMe: News tailored to your individual tastes (The Christian Science Monitor) Column: Custom news websites come and go, but this one gets it right. Sarah Palin docu wins record ratings for Fox News (Reuters via Yahoo! News) In a week of records surrounding the Republican National Convention, Fox News Channel earned another one with its weekend documentary on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. MySpace ad business ahead of target: News Corp (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's (NWSa.N) MySpace advertising business is operating ahead of expectations and its digital ad business is performing better than the marketplace, the company's chief operating officer said on Tuesday. UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News (UPI) Mars Lander set to run last of experiments ? Protein found to suppress skin cancer ? NASA: Gamma-ray burst was aimed at Earth ? Study: Continuous blood sugar monitor best ... Health/Science news from UPI. News 25's Gina Morss Speaks with Senator Dick Durbin (WEEK-TV Peoria) You probably noticed the price of gas jumped up about a quarter a gallon in the past 24 hours. That's apparently a reaction to Hurricane Ike. Senator Dick Durbin tells News 25 he believes oil companies and the president could do more to keep prices at the pump lower. UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News (UPI) Peabody Hotel in Memphis declares amnesty ? Night at Hearst Castle up for grabs ? Mother: 6-year-old got stuck in washer ? Couple may keep home thanks to rare coin ? UPI Quirks in the News. Site: news - Google News Gas Supplies To Poland Stable, No New Caps Planned - Operator - CNNMoney.com
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for ecommerce Chain Reaction Ecommerce gets $5 million boost (BizJournals) Atlanta-based Chain Reaction Ecommerce Inc.(CRE) has raised $5 million from a local venture capital firm. MyECheck Launched on 25 eCommerce Sites With Online Commerce Group (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance) MyECheck Inc., an electronic transaction processor and provider of alternative payment solutions, is pleased to announce that is has deployed its service on 25 eCommerce websites owned and operated by Online Commerce Group, LLC. Ecommerce Provider UniteU Achieves PCI Compliance (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) On-demand Ecommerce Platform Protects Consumers and Merchants Demandware Powers Stylish New eCommerce Site for Barneys New York (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) WOBURN, Mass.----Demandware, developer of the only enterprise-class, on-demand ecommerce platform, today announced that luxury retailer Barneys New York is now live on the Demandware eCommerce Platform. USA Technologies Launches an eCommerce Site to Sell Their EnergyMiser(TM) Product Line (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) MALVERN, Pa.----USA Technologies Inc. , a leading provider of energy management technology designed to reduce the cost and environmental consequence of running everyday devices such as vending machines and coolers, announced today the launch of its eCommerce system for purchasing its EnergyMiser line of products. Corel Streamlines Global Operations to Improve Operational Efficiency and Focus Investment on Growth Opportunities (Centre Daily Times) Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL) (TSX:CRE) today announced it is streamlining its global operations in order to become more operationally efficient and to increase its investment in key growth opportunities, including emerging markets and eCommerce. As part of this effort, the Company will reduce its global workforce by approximately 8% or 90 employees worldwide. Corel Streamlines Global Operations to Improve Operational Efficiency and Focus Investment on Growth Opportunities (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) OTTAWA----Corel Corporation today announced it is streamlining its global operations in order to become more operationally efficient and to increase its investment in key growth opportunities, including emerging markets and eCommerce. Putting Your Product Pages to Work (SEO Chat) Visitors to your site s product pages want to achieve certain goals. Make it easy for them and you can increase your sales. Many of the tweaks and changes mentioned in this article owe as much to good web site design as they do to SEO. We ll look at how successful ecommerce companies such as Amazon and Dell pull it off.... Automate Software Builds with Visual Build Pro Easily create an ... UpSellit's Virtual Chat Agent Creates New Sales Opportunities This Holiday Season for Online Retailers (Centre Daily Times) In time for holiday sales, citing a predicted 14.3 percent growth in eCommerce from 2007-2008 (eMarketer, 2008), etailers are turning to UpSellit to prepare for this seasons' spike in opportunity. UpSellit, a virtual chat technology company that provides online solutions for enhanced, intelligent communications, announced today a 15 percent increase in eCommerce clients during the past six ... Kensington Global Private Equity Fund invests in Walden Venture Capital VII, L.P. (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) Kensington Capital Partners Limited, Canada's leading independent private equity fund investor, is pleased to announce a commitment of US$2,500,000 by the Kensington Global Private Equity Fund to Walden Venture Capital VII, L.P., a venture capital fund managed by Walden Venture Capital, based in San Francisco, specializing in the digital media, consumer and enterprise services, and eCommerce ... Site: ecommerce - Google News Coremetrics Reports Mixed eCommerce Signals in December - MSNBC
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