Long before the internet was a household staple, invented online shopping in 1979 by connecting a modified television to a computer via telephone lines. This primitive system allowed for the first electronic transaction-processing. The 1980s and early 90s saw niche successes:
The mid-90s marked the "Experimental Era," where the launch of the browser made the web accessible to the public.
An online bookstore that preceded Amazon.
One of the first online marketplaces, specifically for used computers.