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The last 10 years have been full of exciting changes and growth when it comes to technology, the internet and e-commerce. Everything changes so fast that we forget all that has happened over the last decade.
The Software & Information Industry Association recently gave the list of the top 10 most significant e-commerce developments of the last decade. I thought it was fun reading through the list because these are things that are so common today yet they didn't even exist 10 years ago! And would you believe that Google is part of 3 of these 10 that are listed. That is no surprise when you think of what Google has done. Google has even become a common verb that you hear on TV and movies and in every day life.
So check out the list...
1. Google (1998): With a third of all Internet users searching on
Google, and half of Americans, the SIIA says the company "did more to fundamentally change the way we use the Internet than any other event in the last 10 years.
2. US Broadband penetration reaches 50% (2004): Until this happened in 2004, the Information Superhighway "felt more like an old dirt road." Though it took longer than expected, broadband created a dramatic change in how ecommerce is done. Broadband penetration is expected to reach 90% by the end of 2007.
3. eBay (1997): Empowered sellers to quit their day jobs and work from home, reaching a larger market faster, competing with other sellers "in ways unimaginable in a physical market."
4. Amazon.com (1997): Solidified the online shopping's place in
the market and set the standard for online stores with ease of use
and wide selection.
5. Google AdWords (2000): Representing 40% of the online
advertising market, keyword advertising became the simplest, most cost-effective way to target audiences, enabling even small
businesses to do so.
6. Open Standards (HTML 4.0, 1997): "It has probably been the most influential and important data standard in the history of
publishing. Open standards can grow an entire industry, leaving
more room and more opportunity for everyone."
7. Wi-Fi (802.11, 1997): Paved the way for people to untie
themselves from their desks, and removed location limitations for
business.
8. User-Generated Content (YouTube 2005): Though full ramifications are still unknown, citizen journalism was ushered in thanks to YouTube. The SIIA calls it "the embodiment of Web 2.0" and "a must-be-seen place for presidential candidates, a battleground in the copyright wars, a vital distribution point for major media."
9. iTunes (2005): Legitimized digital music, revolutionized the
music industry by directly impacting CD sales, and led to increase
in bandwidth use.
10. BlackBerry (1999): a.k.a. "CrackBerry," the device created a
new mobile business culture where employees were given the
freedom to do their jobs from pretty much anywhere.
Wow! What a list. Imagine life without all these things? It is almost hard to imagine because these things have become such a strong part of all of our daily lives. But what is even more amazing is that 10 years from now we will look back on a list like this of 10 things that don't even exist right now. And that list will be just as important to us as these things. We shall wait and see what all that lists contains. I look forward to the future!