Prior to 1994, the Internet had been created by the Defense Department as a way of staying connected in the event of an emergency such as a natural disaster or an attack on the United States. It also came to be used by the government and researchers to exchange information and messages. Up until that point there was no sign of the Internet being used for any type of commerce. When Jeff Bezos noticed the unbelievable growth in Internet usage, the foundation for his idea was poured and everything else is history.
Date | Events |
1994, July | Moves to Seattle, Washington. Develops business plan for Amazon.com, an online book selling business. |
1995, July | Officially opens his Internet Book Store, Amazon. |
Improvements to Amazon: one-click shopping, customer reviews, email order verification. | |
1997 | Amazon Shares go public; $18 a share, $24 by the close of the first business day. |
Amazon sells music, cds, videos, toys, and electronics. | |
Amazon posts profits while other dot.com companies collapse. | |
1998 | Opens international sites in United Kingdom and Germany. |
1999 | Opens 4 fulfillment centers in Nevada, Kansas, and 2 in Kentucky. |
Market value of Amazon stock greater than Barnes & Noble and Borders combined. | |
Borders deals with Amazon to handle online sales. | |
Time Magazine – Jeff Bezos, Person of the Year, King of Cybercommerce. | |
2000, Nov. | Amazon launches Amazon Marketplace allowing customers to sell used merchandise. |
2001 | Upgrade to Amazon – “Look Inside the Book” |
2002, Oct. | Adds clothing, partners with clothing retailers. |
2003 | Upgrade to Amazon – “Search Inside the Book” |
2003, Oct. | Formation of A9, Commercial Search Engine |
Adds sporting goods to merchandise base with over 3,000 name brands. | |
2006 | Amazon launches AWS, Amazon Web Services (Cloud Computing). Annual sales top 10.7 billion |
2007 | Amazon introduces Kindle, hand held reading device that incorporates wireless Internet connection. |
2008 | $6.7 billion in 4th quarter sales |
2010 | Kindle prices cut, features added; to counter Apples’ Ipad. |
Amazon deals with Wyllie Agency. Gives Amazon digital rights to authors they represent. | |
2010, July | Kindle and E-book sales top 2.38 billion. |
Sale of E-books tops hard covers. | |
2011, Sept. | Amazon launches Kindle Fire to counter Apples’ Ipad. Amazon’s cloud computing infrastructure supports Kindle Fire. |
Today | Sells over 20,000 products online, reaches out to niche markets, and obsesses over customer service. Employs 21,000 people and operates throughout the world. |
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