Synopsis
Archived report: this report was archived in August 2006 and has not been updated. Online shopping, or e-retailing, or B2C is growing quickly. Although the US pioneered e-retailing, it has been passed by Europe. However there are still problems with it. Vendors are still providing inadequate Websites. Profitability remains negative or low due to the large volumes needed to cover operating and inventory costs. Customers still prefer to actually see and feel the products they will buy, and there is still the lurking worry about Internet security. This report provides statistics for B2C, together with forecasts made over the past few years on where it was heading.
