Ecommerce has undergone significant change since its inception in the 1980s. This chapter looks at how it began, how the pandemic accelerated its evolution and the benefits it offers over brick-and-mortar retail. It covers:
- Ecommerce growth: What proportion of total sales are completed via ecommerce, and by how much is it predicted to grow?
- B2B: How is ecommerce transforming B2B, and why is the model often more effective than brick-and-mortar in this context?
- The long tail: What is the ‘long tail’ in ecommerce, and how does it give ecommerce the upper hand?