First Wave: B2C commerce was slow and inexpensive. Most consumers used dial-up modems to connect to the Internet.
Internet technologies were integrated into B2B transactions and internal business processes by using bar codes and scanners to track parts, assemblies, inventories, and production status.
Second Wave: B2C commerce was picking up speed when consumers started to use broadband connections in homes.
Radio-Frequency identification (RFID) devices and smart cards are being combined with biometric technologies, such as fingerprint readers and retina scanners, to control more items and people in wider variety of situations.