What was the very first thing bought online?

ONLINE shopping turned 20 recently. In that time, billions has been spent on everything from airline tickets to groceries. But what was the first online purchase?

Online shopping

IT PROBABLY seems like second nature to those of us who spend far too much time perusing online stores every other day but e-commerce has only just turned 20.

What is widely considered to be the very first online purchase was made 20 years ago in 1994 — back when most of us didn’t really know about the internet yet and you needed a backpack to carry around your mobile phone.

But a pioneering customer made, on August 11, 1994, the very first secure online purchase. They were a Sting fan and picked up the British crooner’s Ten Summoner’s Tales album for $US12.48 plus shipping. For those unfamiliar with Sting’s discography, the two most famous songs off that album were ‘Fields of Gold’ and ‘Shape of My Heart’.

The very first online purchase.

We’ve come a long way since that first click of the ‘buy’ button. The NAB Online Retail Sales index released this week found Australians spent $15.6 billion on online shopping in the 12 months to July, and it’s growing year-on-year at 8.6 per cent. A quarter of that was spent on goods bought from overseas websites.

Those aged between 35 and 44-years old are the most enthusiastic online shoppers with 24.4 per cent share of spend, followed by 25 to 34-year olds with 20.6 per cent share of spend. But older Australians over 65-years old are getting more into it.

The highest growth category was groceries and liquor, which grew 15.9 per cent compared to sales a year ago.

Online fashion retailer The Iconic’s co-founder, Adam Jacobs, told news.com.au: “It’s an extremely exciting time to be a retailer. There are periods of technological advancements that change an industry completely. We’re lucky to be smack bang in the middle of that stage now.

“Online shopping has evolved so much in the last 20 years, and even in the last five years. Today, buying something online is like ordering a pizza — you can get it within a few hours. It’s so much easier than ever before. It’s only going to get even better from here.”

What was your first online purchase? Join the conversation @newscomauhq on Twitter, or comment below.