It’s that time of year: My Facebook feed is slowly but surely starting to fill up with pictures of Girl Scouts and their cookie order forms. But the changes this year go far beyond the addition of a new cookie; for the first time since cookie sales began nearly a century ago, the parent organization will allow online cookie sales.

The new online platform will allow local Girl Scouts to market their online cookie businesses by inviting customers to visit their personalized cookie websites through a link sent via email. Customers who buy cookies from girls will be able to have their order processed, paid for and confirmed at point of sale, with the option of having cookies shipped directly to them or delivered by the Girl Scout. You can go even online to find out where and when the girl scouts will be at your favorite grocery store or sign up to receive an email alert when new booth sales are announced.

For many girls, cookie sales are the first exposure to developing sales, marketing and general communication skills, as traditionally they have gone door-to-door, worked in booths or made signs to post in their parents’ offices. And now, with the addition of the online sales platform, potentially their first exposure to online commerce.

It’s a natural progression of the cookie-selling empire, for sure. But will these Girls Scouts get the same experience from online sales, or will the learning lessons inherent in the process be lost in the digital interaction? What do you think?