IMRG Takes On... The History of eCommerce

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, the new podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.

 

For our fourth episode, we've taken on the history of ecommerce. Andy and Tom pit historical figures against one another to decide who would thrive in modern eCommerce roles (could Queen Elizabeth I optimise a search bar?), revisit the moments in history that could have benefitted from online shopping, and look back at the milestones that transformed retail into what it is today.

 

• The very first eCommerce transaction: when was it and what was bought?
• Why eCommerce took off in the UK and gave us an early advantage
• Battle of historical figures: Who would Andy and Tom hire for modern eCommerce roles?
• How broadband, Wi-Fi and smartphones supercharged eCommerce
• How Facebook kickstarted the world of social media advertising
• Did Covid-19 permanently transform eCommerce, or has its impact faded?
• History's what-ifs: Stonehenge to famous battles - the moments that needed ecom
• Tom asks a very important question: Andy, "do you wear a wig?"
• The ideas that never took off: Voice commerce, same-day delivery and the metaverse 

 

Hot off the press: this has officially become Tom's favourite episode so far. We suspect his inner history nerd had something to do with it. We hope you enjoy it just as much. 

Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.