Preface

The dot-com bubble has burst, but e-commerce isn’t dead — online sales are still growing impressively. In the U.S., Forrest Research reported that 2002 online sales were up nearly 50 per cent compared with the year before. And in the U.K., the Interactive Media in Retail Group said that 2002 online shopping grew 19 times faster than traditional retailing venues. Furthermore, as of December 17, 2003, The Street.com reports “e-commerce sales are up 20% to 35% this holiday season [2003].” In fact, numerous experts predict that Internet shopping is likely to continue to outgrow brick-and-mortar sales for the foreseeable future because consumers are recognizing and exploiting the benefits of Web shopping.