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Could electronic mail undermine conventional post? – archive, 1 December 1983
(www.theguardian.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
The technology wasn't the hurdle though. People knew it was perfectly feasible. In fact online shopping pre-dates the web and mainstream adoption of the internet by more than a decade. It was customers feeling safe enough entering bank details online and the whole thing being sufficiently secure. Which isn't an irrational thing to worry about.
Plus credit cards were not as ubiquitous as they are now back in '83. Credit and debit cards facilitated online shopping greatly.