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In 1997, the BBC asked Jeff Bezos when internet shopping would take off
August 14, 2024
Jeff Bezos appearing in a 27-year-old report by the BBC on internet shopping. | Screenshot: YouTube
Earlier this year, Amazon reported $143.3 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2024. But 27 years ago, the BBC wondered when predictions that the internet revolutionizing shopping would come true, speaking to local bakers, booksellers, and even Jeff Bezos to find out.
The Money Programme report, which originally aired in November of 1997, was recently added to the BBC Archive YouTube Channel. In it, reporter Nils Blythe takes a simulated journey on the information superhighway — complete with wonderfully dated ‘90s-era blue screen effects and graphics — and speaks to retailers who had varying levels of success with online commerce at the time.
Those included a small bakery in the UK that was enjoying several thousands of dollars…