The history of e-commerce

E-commerce might be a relatively recent concept as compared to other phenomenon; nevertheless it would be interesting to follow the history of it no matter how short. Of course the concepts of international trade have been there for a long time and people have been involved in exchange of good and services in form of import/exports and global sourcing in other form since long back. In this article a brief history of e-commerce would be looked at so that its contribution to the concepts of international trade can be adjudged in the right perspective as well its role in promoting cross border transfer of good and services or import/exports and global sourcing.