E-Commerce: A Short History Follow-up on Possible Trends

Abstract

The aim of this work is to think on the state-of-the-art of e-commerce and its trends for the future. E-commerce has been developing since the 1990’s and its evolution is directly linked to the advancement of information technology. Early e-commerce began with the simple dissemination of goods and services by digital means, going from the issuance of orders, then the delivery of products to achieving interaction between traders and consumers via the Internet. Some e-commerce tools enable users to perform transactions even without leaving home – with transactions ranging from purchasing to paying bills. This can be done 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. The demand for convenience and, even, privacy are the main responsible reasons for the increased use of electronic commerce by consumers. Despite the advances of e-commerce in recent times it still requires larger investment, especially regarding safety, which is appointed as major deficiency in this trade modality, along with logistics. Investments will also be necessary to enable e-commerce to keep up with the current technological advances and future development prospects, such as the adoption of virtual intelligence, the expansion of globalization with language translators, adaptive interfaces that take into account the specific characteristics of user groups and the mobile commerce, and the experimentation in 3D model.This study aims to – by means of literature review – draw a brief history of the emergence and evolution of e-commerce, also highlighting the tools in use, the trends and challenges of this modern business model.