Shedding Standard ECommerce Business Practices: What Could Become Of ECommerce If We Do?

Today’s post is not an ecommerce business tip or how-to.  Its about where ecommerce is today as an industry and the potential of where it can go.  What’s the next big evolution in our industry?  For example, mobile ecommerce is rapidly growing and the availability of portable phones, PDAs and devices like the new Apple iPad are creating a significant shift for the web to those delivery platforms.  That is happening as we speak.  But whats next?  What will we see 5-10 years from now?  Today’s post came more from the result of daydreaming than it was premeditated on a  specific tip. (we are getting slammed with snow today so I find myself looking out the window more than I should be).

I once had a friend tell me that in the future,  ecommerce would be embedded in the TV shows that we watch.  This was back around 1998 or so.  I think WebTV may have influenced his thought, although we now know where that went.  That was invented around 1996 and was more about just getting web access.    He had loftier ideas.

He thought we would be watching popular TV shows  and if we saw something we wanted we could walk over to the tv, or use a remote to point at the item and click ‘Add To Cart’.   He used an example where Jerry (from the Jerry Seinfield show) was wearing a sweater or some article of clothing and because the broadcast signal from the TV show had embedded tags in it for key products, you would have the ability to buy that sweater as well as change colors, sizes, etc.   Ok, I’ll admit that was a far fetched idea, especially at the time.   I mean who is going to interrupt the relaxation of viewing their favorite show to “buy” something.    But nowadays, maybe that idea isn’t that far off.  For example:

1.  You can watch TV shows on your computer (eg. hulu.com, network websites, etc).  Online video has exploded and computers are becoming more and more media devices.

2.  You can order things online. (you could do it in 1998 too, but it was primitive compared to today)

3.  Product placement is making its way into TV shows (Coke with American Idol, Citrix Servers with 24, etc). I want Jack Bauer’s PDA. It always has a signal and its battery never runs out)

4.  Television transmission is now digital (at least within the US) versus the old over the air, non-digital signals.

5.  Embedded tags in the digital stream could contain data needed to support ecommerce (look at menu technology for your cable provider. They can embed programming menus and on-demand services)

6.  Payment systems are now more flexible than ever. (Online Bill Pay, Online Checkout, Paypal etc)

7. Network TV has been struggling with decreased advertising revenue especially since the invent of Tivo and DVR’s. They are ripe for new sources of income streams.

8. The cable television network, QVC does “millions” in online sales each year.  and so on.

Whether or not this is the next big thing, is hard to tell. Personally, I think we are still a WAY off from that.  But I know that the technology does exist.   I remember thinking my friend had lost his mind at the time.  Now, I think its at least possible.   The digital world and media is overlapping and we are more tied to it than ever. Whatever the next big thing  ends up being it comes from those who shed the standard ecommerce business practices to achieve huge success with their inventions.

Here are some examples of things that have impacted our industry in one way or another over the past several years:

Amazon became even more successful by opening up their online store to 3rd party merchants via their Amazon Marketplace.  Now Sears and a few others are doing it.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) became the buzzword that everyone talks about and it is even spawning its own industry.  Some companies have come out with an online store generator which gave millions access to ecommerce without having to have significant technical skills.  Social Networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are  all the rage.   So what’s next?  How can you identify (or better yet create) the next big thing and use it to your advantage?  That is the hard part.  Identifying it early.

Looking out my back window and seeing the calmness of the snow, was just enough to relax my mind. It was just enough to forget about the day to day stuff for a bit and take the opportunity to ponder what comes next.

P.S.  If you know what the next big thing is… can you share it with me