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The History of the Retail & FMCG Industry

Early history - barter

• Approx. 10,000 BC: Local bartering begins with the transition to sedentarization (e.g. grain for tools).
• Early trade objects: Shells, salt, obsidian, jewelry.
• First specialized trade routes emerge - e.g. obsidian routes in Anatolia.

Antiquity - international trade networks emerge

• Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus culture: trade by boat, caravan, ox cart.
• Phoenicians (from 1000 BC): Pioneers of maritime trade in the Mediterranean.
• Silk Road (from around 200 BC): Overland route from China via Central Asia to Europe - trade in silk, spices, porcelain.
• Roman Empire: Dense trade network, standardized currency, infrastructure (roads, ports).

Middle Ages - interregional trade & trading cities

• Arab traders: mediators between East and West - bringing knowledge, spices, paper.
• Hanseatic League (from the 12th century): North German trading alliance with centers such as Lübeck, Hamburg.
• Markets & trade fairs: e.g. in Champagne or Frankfurt - important meeting places for merchants.
• Rise of trading families such as the Medici or Fugger.

Early modern period - globalization begins

• 15th-17th century: European explorers open up sea routes to India, Africa and America.
• Spice trade, precious metals, later also slave trade characterize the era.
• Founding of trading companies:
  Dutch East India Company (VOC),
  British East India Company.
• Development of colonial trade (coffee, sugar, tobacco).

19th century - industrialization changes everything

• Large-scale production - mass markets emerge.
• Railroads and steamships speed up transportation.
• Rise of department stores, first branded goods and advertising.
• Beginning of the world market: countries are increasingly networked economically.

20th century - consumer society & digitalization

• After the Second World War: free trade and international organizations (GATT, later WTO).
• Emergence of global corporations (e.g. Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Siemens).
• 1950s-70s: Rise of the retail trade, supermarkets, mail order.
• 1990s-2000s: Internet revolution - ecommerce (Amazon, Alibaba, eBay).

21st century - global, digital, sustainable?

• Online retail is booming - personalized, mobile, global.
• Platform economies: Amazon, Etsy, Zalando - marketplaces instead of retailers.
• Fair trade, sustainability and regionality are gaining in importance.
• Digital payment systems, blockchain and crypto are changing payment processes.
• Supply chain problems and geopolitical tensions reveal new risks of global trade.

Future of retail

• Artificial intelligence for pricing, logistics & customer service.
• Virtual shopping worlds (Metaverse).
• Circular economy & sharing economy.
• Decentralized commerce - trade without central platforms.

Source (2025): ChatGPT - History of Trade