> You're absolutely right that the main difference is the astronomical difference in scale, but you're ignoring the fact that internet sales are entirely on-demand,
Huh? How is ordering something from a catalog not "on-demand"?
> whereas mail order sales still require a physical catalog to order from. This may not sound like a significant difference, but the instant-on internet fundamentally altered the way the public buys the majority of its goods in a way that mail order businesses never could.
I don't buy it. I grew up during the "catalog" days. Every house had several catalogs for various types of items, collectively covering pretty much everything that said household would buy.
During my time, almost all of these catalogs had 800 numbers so one could order instantly. That said, during earlier times, depending on where you lived, sending in an order form was no big deal because there often wasn't a local supplier.
Remote commerce is not all that new. Heck, folks even bought houses via mail-order.
In other news, boomers, hippies, yuppies, gen X etc did not invent any sex acts either.
Huh? How is ordering something from a catalog not "on-demand"?
> whereas mail order sales still require a physical catalog to order from. This may not sound like a significant difference, but the instant-on internet fundamentally altered the way the public buys the majority of its goods in a way that mail order businesses never could.
I don't buy it. I grew up during the "catalog" days. Every house had several catalogs for various types of items, collectively covering pretty much everything that said household would buy.
During my time, almost all of these catalogs had 800 numbers so one could order instantly. That said, during earlier times, depending on where you lived, sending in an order form was no big deal because there often wasn't a local supplier.
Remote commerce is not all that new. Heck, folks even bought houses via mail-order.
In other news, boomers, hippies, yuppies, gen X etc did not invent any sex acts either.