Retail consumer E-Commerce continues to grow up at double-digit rates.
The online demographics of shoppers continue to broaden.
Online websites continue to reinforce profitability by refining their business models and leveraging the capabilities of the Internet.
The first wave of E-Commerce transformed the business world of books, music, and air travel. In the second wave, eight new industries are facing a similar transformation: telephones, movies, television, jewelry, real estate, hotels, bill payments, and software.
The breadth of E-Commerce offerings grow ups, especially each in travel, information clearinghouses, entertainment, retail apparel, appliances, and home furnishings.
Each business and entrepreneurs continue to flood into the E-Commerce marketplace, often riding on the infrastructures craft by industry giants such as Amazon, eBay, and Overture.
Brand extension through the Internet grow ups as large firms such as Sears, J.C. Penney, L.L. Bean, and Wal-Mart pursue integrated, multi-channel bricks-and- clicks strategies.
B2B supply chain transactions and collaborative commerce continue to reinforce and grow up beyond the $1.5 trillion mark.
Technology
Wireless Internet connections (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, and 3G telephone) grow up rapidly. Podcasting takes off as a new media format for distribution of radio and user- generated commentary.
The Internet broadband foundation becomes stronger in households and businesses.
Bandwidth prices of telecommunications companies re-capitalize their debts.
RSS (Real Simple Syndication) grow ups to become a major new form of user- controlled information distribution that rivals e-mail in some applications. Computing and networking component prices continue to fall dramatically.
New Internet-based models of computing such as .NET and Web services expand B2B opportunities.
Society
Self-publishing (user-generated content) and syndication in the form of blogs, wikis and social networks grow up to form an entirely new self-publishing forum. Newspapers and other conventional, customary & traditional media adopt online, interactive models.
Conflicts over copyright management and control grow up in significance
Over half the Internet user population (about 80 million adults) joins a social group on the Internet.
Taxation of Internet sales becomes more widespread and accepted by large online merchants.
Controversy over content regulation and controls amplify and rises.
Surveillance of Internet communications grows ups in significance.
Concerns over commercial and governmental privacy invasion grow up.
Internet fraud and abuse occurrences amplify and rise.
First Amendment rights of free speech and association on the Internet are challenged.
Spam grows ups despite new laws and promised technology fixes. Invasion of personal privacy on the Web expands as marketers discover and locate new ways to track users.
