How it all began: the story of the first online purchase
It's hard to imagine a world without online shopping. Today, we order food, clothes, electronics and cosmetics with one click, from our mobile phone, from the couch, in our pajamas at two in the morning. But have you ever wondered how it all began? Who sold the first product online, and how did that humble beginning grow into a trillion-dollar global industry?
In this article, we go back to the very beginning of e-commerce, reveal the fascinating story of the first online transaction in history and explain why creating a quality webshop is one of the smartest investments for any Croatian business today.
The year is 1994. The internet is still an exotic term for most people. There are no smartphones, no Google, no Facebook. And it was in that year, in August, that something happened that forever changed the way humanity trades.
Dan Kohn, then a twenty-two-year-old entrepreneur, launched NetMarket, one of the first real online trading systems. His friend Phil Brandenberger sat down at his computer and bought a CD of Sting's "Ten Summoner's Tales" online for $12.48, with shipping costs. The transaction was encrypted using SSL technology, which was a real technological revolution for that time.
The New York Times wrote about it with disbelief, almost fear: "A credit card was charged and music was purchased without the buyer and seller ever meeting, without paperwork, without a phone call."
That Sting CD was the trigger that changed the world.
Amazon, eBay, and the explosion of e-commerce
A year later, in 1995, Jeff Bezos opened Amazon, then a modest online bookstore from a garage in Seattle. In the same year, Pierre Omidyar launches eBay. None of them had any idea where this was leading.
By the end of the nineties, e-commerce was growing at an incredible rate. The dot-com bubble brought chaos, but also the foundations on which the entire digital economy stands today. Amazon has moved from books to everything else. eBay has democratized sales for small businesses around the world.
Today, e-commerce generates more than five trillion dollars a year globally and continues to grow year after year. In Croatia, especially after 2020, online shopping has experienced explosive growth that has not stopped.
Why does your business need a webshop right now?
Many Croatian entrepreneurs are still hesitant to start an online store. The reasons are always similar: "It's too complicated", "it's too expensive", "we're not sure if it's worth it". Let's dispel these myths one by one.
Your customers are already shopping online
According to research, more than 60% of Croatian internet users regularly shop online. The number is growing every year. If your competition has a webshop and you don't, you're already losing customers every day. The question is not whether your customers will shop online, but who they will give money to.
The webshop works for you 24 hours a day
The physical store has opening hours. There is no webshop. Your products are available to the customer at midnight, on holidays, weekends, while you sleep. Any order that arrives while resting is a pure profit with no extra work.
The costs are less than you think
A professional webshop is more accessible than ever today. WooCommerce, the platform on which we build our webshops, is an open-source solution with a huge ecosystem of tools. Once set up, maintenance costs are minimal compared to a physical business.
The reach is unlimited
A physical store is limited by location. The webshop is not. You can sell in Osijek, Split, Vienna and Berlin at the same time, at no additional cost.
How does Widget build webshops that actually sell?
There is a huge difference between a webshop that exists and a webshop that sells. We at Widget only do the other type.
WooCommerce as a foundation
We build each webshop on the WooCommerce platform, the most used e-commerce platform in the world. The reasons are clear: flexibility, reliability, easy operation and countless expansion possibilities. You don't need technical knowledge to manage your trade because the system is intuitive and easy to use on a daily basis.
Complete payment integration
We set up all relevant payment methods for the Croatian market: credit cards, PayPal, cash on delivery and more. Every transaction is secure, encrypted and compliant with current legal regulations.
Optimize for conversions
Looking nice is not enough. Our approach to webshop design is guided by one thought: how to get a visitor to buy. Every element of the page, from the "add to cart" button to the thank you page, is carefully designed to maximize conversions.
SEO optimization from day one.
A webshop without visitors is a dead webshop. Each webshop we deliver has properly set SEO foundations: optimized product descriptions, fast category pages, schema markup for Google Shopping, technically correct URL structure. Your products need to be visible when customers search for them.
WP Stock Sync: Our Secret for Dropshippers
We have developed our own WordPress plugin that automatically syncs the inventory of dropshipping suppliers with your WooCommerce store. Seven thousand products updated in just three minutes, no manual input, no errors, no time wasted. For dropshippers, it's an absolute revolution in inventory management.
More than just a webshop: complete support for online sales
Creating a webshop is just the beginning. The widget offers everything you need for successful online sales:
Google Shopping Campaigns so that your products are visible directly in Google search results with a photo and price.
Descriptions of the products they sell because our team of copywriters writes texts that are both SEO optimized and convincing for the customer.
Email marketing for repeat purchases, because a satisfied customer is the cheapest new customer you can have.
Professional Product Photos Because a high-quality product image increases conversions drastically. We offer studio and field photography, processing and retouching.
Analytics and reporting Because you need to know what's selling, where customers leave without making a purchase, and how to improve results.
From the first CD to your first webshop
Phil Brandenberger bought that Sting CD not knowing that he was participating in history. Little did Dan Kohn know that his innovation would one day be used by billions of people. Jeff Bezos probably had a hunch, but even he couldn't imagine the scale.
One thing is for sure: e-commerce is here to stay. Every year, more and more customers go online. Every year, entrepreneurs who hesitated regret not starting earlier.
Don't be in that group. Your webshop can be ready faster and easier than you think.
Call Widget today, we're chatting for free and with no strings attached. Together, let's build an online store that works for you while you do something else.
📞 Contact: +385 95 781 8170 🌐 Web: widgets.hr
Widget – Jedna agencija. Sve usluge. Nula stresa.
