I found myself wondering this morning: is there going to come a point where the things that were once differentiated as being on the web or that use the prefix E will simply become the norm without the need to spell out that it's on the web? As an example…will E-Commerce ever just become commerce? The question isn't so much about semantics as it is about the need to differentiate products and services delivered via the web. I don't even read a newspaper, but I read many newspaper's website to get my news online…is that still a "newspaper?" E-commerce is the only way I personally buy almost everything…we even order our groceries online, is that still "grocery shopping?"
At some point in history things shift and a newer model displaces the old, and ultimately the novelty of it wears off, the need to name it differently wears off. I just wonder when the first time I'll hear "come visit our store" means go to http://www.whatever-the-store-name-is.com Currently everyone seems to say, visit us online at…or shop online at… What's so different about shopping at an online store and shopping in a store…except avoiding crowds, finding things easier with less effort and being able to easily do price-comparisons? I guess what I would say is missing is the instant gratification. So I pose this: once a company can deliver you what you order online in the same day you order it (like my groceries), that's when I think you will start to hear people say "I'm going shopping" vs "I'm going shopping online."
So what do you think, when will we begin to stop seeing a differentiation made between in-person, physical items or physical stores and the very same things found online?
