Ken Wasch, President of SIIA, said: "It’s no surprise to see
Google rank as the most important e-commerce development in the
last 10 years. But the list also includes several e-commerce tools
that have become so commonplace, we almost forget they didn’t exist
10 years ago."
SIIA’s Top 10
1. Google (September 1998): Google did more to
fundamentally change the way we use the internet than any other
event in the last 10 years. Americans conducted 6.9 billion
searches online in February 2007 and nearly half of those were on
Google.
2. Broadband penetration of US internet users
reaches 50% (June 2004): It took broadband roughly four years to
reach 50% – but it is estimated that it will reach 90% penetration
of internet users by the end of 2007.
3. eBay Auctions (launched September 1997): The
launch empowered hundreds of thousands of power sellers to quit
their day jobs and work exclusively online. Individuals could also
compete directly with each other in ways unimaginable in a physical
market.
4. Amazon.com (IPO May 1997): Amazon showed the
world what an online store would look like and made online shopping
popular through its ease of use and wide selection. Amazon’s public
offering told the world that online commerce is legitimate and here
to stay.
5. Google AdWords (2000): Keyword advertising
has become the biggest online advertising vehicle, representing 40%
of that market and $6.8 billion in revenue.
6. Open standards (HTML 4.0 released 1997): The
standards for the web embodied in HTML are overseen by the World
Wide Web Consortium, which is not controlled by any company or
government. The formats are open, well documented and designed to
work with different software and hardware. It has probably been the
most influential and important data standard in the history of
publishing.
7. Wi-Fi (802.11 launched 1997): The
development of Wi-Fi removed the limitations of desktops and cables
and shifted focus toward mobile solutions.
8. User-generated content (YouTube launched
2005): At first a playground for kids with video cameras, YouTube
is now the embodiment of Web 2.0.
9. iTunes (2001): In the aftermath of Napster
and the P2P battles, iTunes legitimised the digital music industry,
revolutionising the music industry. The importance of CDs declined
while music as digital content grew, leading to developments in
everything from Digital Rights Management software to increased
bandwidth use. Today, more than US$2 billion worth of music was
sold online or through mobile phones in 2006 (trade revenues),
almost doubling the market in the last year. Digital sales now
account for around 10% of the music market.
10. BlackBerry (1999): The BlackBerry makes
communication instantaneous, and mobile. A comprehensive
communications device creates a new mobile business culture.
