This is the first post to kick things off.  Enjoy.

 

We are entering a time where how we purchase is dramatically changing.  We are buying and trading with virtual currency on social networks. We are earning rewards and getting discounts at our favorite stores by using location-based services.  And, credit card companies, tech giants and startups are testing ways to turn our mobile devices into payment mechanisms.

It wasn’t until 1994 that online shopping and e-commerce “took off” and it took years before it was widely adopted. Today, things are moving a little quicker.  Technology is advancing at an accelerated rate and people are adopting it faster than ever before.  The Smartphone industry is driving m-commerce and starting to bring it mainstream, but it’s also paving roads for l-commerce (location), which is being led by companies like Shopkick, Facebook Places, Foursquare and SCVNGR.

Furthermore, we have the rise of social and the birth of s-commerce.  Companies like Amazon, Ebay, Yelp, Swipely, Groupon and many, many brands are participating.   You may have noticed that Facebook, the World’s largest social network, was missing for those examples; well, that’s because it has been given its own category, f-commerce.

Can you even remember a time when you couldn’t shop online?  In ten years, we most likely won’t be able to remember when we couldn’t make purchases on our mobile devices or received releveant deals and discounts based on our exact location and purchase behavior.  It may seem crazy now, but we are entering a new era of commerce that will change the way we shop forever.