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Online shopping will soon become the main avenue of shopping in the US. The early users back then were only the highly educated white males, otherwise known as the "techies." Nowadays, times have changed and so have the consumers for online shopping. Just about every household now has a computer or two. And anybody who owns a computer has made at least one purchase online.

As more and more people shop online, there had to be a way to track the trends of these online services, so that the retailers could get some feedback and then provide the consumer with constant improvements. This is where b2c ecommerce comes into play. They help track the latest trends of the online shopper and then provide this information to the retailers.

With this b2c ecommerce information, the retailers can make improvements to their business. And with these improvements and new technologies, the shopper now has even more tools to help them evaluate what they're shopping for, prior to making a purchase. One of the biggest improvements that has been made online has been the ability for the consumer to comparison shop side by side for a particular item. With the click of a button, the consumer can now get numerous quotes from different retailers selling the same item.

These are some of the improvements that the retailers have made over the years; customers can now return their merchandise if they are not completely satisfied and they can either pick up their purchase or have it delivered right to their front door. As well, thanks to newer and more secure technology, customers now feel much more secure in using their credit cards online. Whereas a few years ago, people were a little apprehensive about giving their credit card number over the Internet.

Common Questions Answered by B2C Ecommerce

* How fast will my sales grow?
* Which part of the US shows in the largest growth of ecommerce
* What do consumers think is the biggest advantage to online shopping vs. conventional shopping?
* What is the greatest risk to online shopping?

B2C ecommerce will answer questions like this and many others to help the consumer be more confident when shopping online.

Market Size and Growth

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) estimated that the US ecommerce retail sales for 2003 was over $56 billion; compared to a little over $44 billion in 2002. Of course the heaviest amount of sales for 2003 came in the fourth quarter during the holiday season. B2C ecommerce has reported that there is a lot of room for sales growth, considering it has only accounted for 1.5% of total retail sales in 2003.

What Does The Future Hold?

B2C Ecommerce has predicted that by 2007, the total retail sales will rise to about 3% of the total retail sales in the US. If the online leisure travel sales increase, then the total will rise to around 4% of all retail sales. This is a huge portion of the overall US retail sales. At this stage, one would have to truly believe that the sky is the limit to online sales.