With each generation since WWII there has been a shift in the retail focus. And now
most experts agree that we are experiencing much more than just another shift. We are on the
verge of a new revolution: an Internet revolution.
Today, the Internet appears to be everywhere. Whether it's an update on the stock
market, research on the car you want to buy, or a simple email to your mother, people of all ages
and backgrounds are definitely relying on the net more and more. Since it was launched in
1991, it has seen unbelievable growth. In 1995 only 4% of Americans used the net everyday and
today there are more than 30% . Internet usage in our schools has grown from 35% in 1994 to
over 95% today. The net is being called the greatest free marketplace of information and ideas
that has ever existed, and anyone who chooses not to get "plugged in" is going to be left in the
The segment of electronic commerce that will experience revolutionary change is
consumer shopping. For decades, consumers have wanted convenient access to a limitless
selection of products that they could conveniently research before they bought. But very few
ever dreamt that it would happen right from the comfort of their own home or office.
Consumers can already purchase a variety of products and services on the net, and it is
obvious that we are only seeing the beginning of that. The 10 million people in the US who
bought something over the net in 1997 rose to 17 million in 1998, and 28 million by June 1999.
By 2003, it is estimated that 183 million people will buy on-line, some 36% of the user
population. Non-U.S. users will account for 65% of the total user population, generating just
over half of all economic revenue by that time (compared with 56% of the traffic and 26% of the
revenue in 1998). This certainly helps to explain why consumer shopping on the net is projected
to grow to between $1.4 t...