Subject areaChannels and tools
Minitel is the online network (a system that sends data over the phone line) launched in France in the early 1980s by the national post and telephone administration.
Every subscriber received a small terminal with a screen and keyboard, plugged into the phone socket, from which they could look up the phone book, book trips, check their bank account and order goods. That is why France was one of the first countries to introduce large-scale online shopping, and Minitel is seen as the cradle of social shopping (purchases that grow out of conversations between people) before the internet.
The service was paid by the minute, on the phone bill, and the revenue was split between the operator and the service provider: a business model that foreshadows that of digital platforms. Minitel was switched off in 2012.
An example
A French family in the 1980s booked a train or ordered from a mail-order catalogue on the Minitel terminal at home, and paid for the service on its phone bill.
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
Spotted an inaccuracy or something that needs updating? Write to info@enricogiubertoni.com and help make this glossary a better place.
What are your business challenges?
Tell us about your priorities and the objectives you want to reach.
You will receive a free, targeted answer within one working day.