1960's-1970's: 

• E-Commerce got its start in the 1960's with the creation of a computerized check processing system called Electronic Recording Machine-Accounting or ERMA was introduced.  ERMA processed millions of checks every year. 
• Electronic Data Interchange or EDI was developed in in the 1960's and saw use in the 1970's.  EDI allowed for the processing of shipping documents and purchase orders. 
• In 1969 UPS was a national alternative to the postal service for shipping and distribution.  They were available in 31 states with permission pending for 8 more. 
• The 1970's also saw the introduction of Electronic Fund Transfer.  This allowed for the processing of payments online. 
• In 1979 online shopping was invented by Michael Aldrich of the UK.  

Links: 

http://www.sri.com/about/ermastory.html

http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/downloads/products/0072190116/0072190116_ch01.pdf

http://www.wetpluto.com/EFT-POS.html

http://www.aldricharchive.com/shopping_history.html

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/United-Parcel-Service-of-America-Inc-Company-History.html

1980's:

• The explosion of credit cards, ATM machines and telephone banking was the next step in the evolution of electronic commerce
• The Boston Computer Exchange, a marketplace for used computer equipment started in 1982, was one of the first known examples of e-commerce
• Online shopping was invented in the UK by Michael Aldrich in 1979
  • The early online transactions in the 1980s were heavily reliant on the Aldrich model and the slow dial up capabilities of the internet services available at that time
  • The large automotive companies like GM, Nissan and Peugeot used the system but it was very slow
    

Links:

http://sellitontheweb.com/blog/history-of-e-commerce/

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-Brief-History-Of-E-commerce/1741460

1990's:

2000-Present:

• Social media has taken off since the early 2000s.  Surveys estimate that 47.1% of retailers will be increasing their use of social media.  Going along with that, 60.3% of retailers have made changes to their Facebook and/or Twitter pages, while nearly 65% of retailers have added blogs or RSS feed pages.  A report from eMarketer suggests that more than 70 million U.S. mobile phone users will at some point access the internet from their phone this year.¹
• The U.S. Census Bureau released data at the end of Quarter 2 of 2010 which showed e-commerce sales and growth starting in 2000.  In 2000 e-commerce sales sat at about 27.5 billion dollars, 9-years later sales has increased a remarkable 80%, up to a dollar figure of $143.389 billion, which is a compound growth rate of 20%.  One method that is going to keep e-commerce growing at these compound rates is the newly accepted method of m-commerce.  M-commerce is expected to have a positive impact on e-commerce sales figures for atleast the next 5 years.²
• Over the decades, new types of products and companies have added e-commerce.  Today, items including insurance, toys, electronics, and now food are available online.  E-Commerce has touched the homes of millions of consumers.  With the outstanding speed of internet connections, online purchases boom during peak buying seasons, for example, holidays.  
• E-Commerce has become very prominent not only in the United States, but overseas as well.  Over $1.5 trillion in Business-to-Business e-commerce sales occurred in Europe-Africa and Asia-Pacific in the year 2004.  E-commerce statistics are available for 21 major countries.
• During this decade, Social Networking has become one of the largest providers for advertising revenues.  Over 100 million people visit FaceBook on a monthly basis.  

Links:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/e-commerce_top_internet_trends_of_2000-2009.php

http://dstevenwhite.com/2010/08/20/u-s-e-commerce-growth-2000-2009/

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-Brief-History-Of-E-commerce/1741460

http://home.earthlink.net/~lindberg_b/GECGrwth.htm

http://www.graphicsms.com/blog/877-social-networking-statistics-2010/