Skip to main content

Online shopping began its steady growth in 1994 after new security measures allowed for safe ecommerce transactions to occur online. Surprisingly, Pizza Hut was one of the first major companies to adopt ecommerce by offering online ordering through their website.

As online shopping grew in popularity, brick-and-mortar stores began to offer their products online, and entire companies were created to facilitate web sales. In 1995 Jeff Bezos launched Amazon.comwhich is now the world's largest online retailer - they brought in $48 billion in 2011 alone. Online auction site eBay also opened shop in 1995. Expedia was founded in 1996 as a small division of Microsoft, and Zappos.com opened its digital doors in 1999.

With today's high-res photos and speedy shopping carts, it's easy to forget how primitive most ecommerce stores used to be. Check out how these big brand-names sites looked before they became popular. Although they seem simplistic, unintuitive, and kind of ugly, at the time they were cutting-edge, and they paved the way for what ecommerce is today.

Dell - 1996

Pizza Hut - 1997

Expedia - 1997

Zappos - 2000

Netflix - 2002

Apple - 1997

American Apparel - 2001

GAP - 1996

Wal-Mart - 2001

Stay in the loop! Discover what’s new in the world of ecommerce.

  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • No spam, just quality content. Your inbox is safe with us. For more details, review our Privacy Policy. We're protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Toys-R-Us - 2000

Diapers.com - 2001

Barnes & Noble - 1999

Best Buy - 1997

Zazzle - 2004

Amazon - 2006

Staples - 1997

J Crew - 1996

Buy.com - 1999

Sony - 1996

Macy's - 1999

Nike - 1998

Target - 1997

Wine.com - 1997

American Eagle Outfitters - 1999

CD Baby - 1998

LL Bean - 1999

eBags - 1999

Ancestry - 1998

Coach - 2000

Overstock - 1999

Threadless - 2002

1-800 Flowers.com - 1999

Ashley Madison - 2002

CD Now - 1999

The Hudsons Bay Company - 2001

Art.com - 2000

Shopify - 2008

By Michael Cristancho

I'm a Digital Commerce and Experience evangelist who enjoys engaging in thought-provoking conversation and mutual exploration. I am a strong believer that learning never ends, and each day brings another opportunity to grow as an individual and professional.