Amazon launches one-click checkout (1997)
Amazon patented and rolled out 1-Click ordering, letting repeat customers buy with a single tap by storing payment and shipping details. It cut the steps between wanting an item and owning it.
1-Click became a signature Amazon feature and a competitive edge in early online retail.
Amazon licensed the patent to Apple and defended it for two decades until it expired in 2017, shaping how the whole industry handled checkout friction.
Agentic commerce is the next attempt to remove checkout friction, this time by collapsing search and payment into a single conversation.
