MarketWatch's John Wordock reports consumers are hitting the Web like never before, buying everything from shoes to pet supplies to cosmetics. Sales this year will hit their highest level ever -- $211 billion.
Listen to his interview with Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation. You can get an executive summary of the group's latest report on retailing online.
It must be like a very bad movie for the execs at Netflix this morning - the morning after they told analysts the company is cutting prices and will not expand internationally because it expects Amazon.com to enter the business soon. For its part, an Amazon spokesperson said its "customers have encouraged us to offer low-priced online DVD rentals."
Ignore for a moment that the rental business is not a core competency at Amazon. It's terrific at sending stuff out. But it's also very good at handling returns. That's stuff coming in.
But if even the rumor Amazon is getting into a business can cause the market leader to change its business strategy, who's next? How about CarMax.com? Or Peapod.com? Or pizza delivery?
Amazon's incredible customer loyalty makes this virtual-Wal-Mart a category killer everywhere.
The arrival of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book means it's time for many of us to start making a list. And while NM's fantasy gifts may be a bit too pricey, you can still Web-window shop at a terrific online version of what used to be called The Book.
A shopping resource for the rest of us is at Shopping.com, where Ipod, Sony and IRiver PMP 120 were the most popular searches in the last two weeks. "Star Wars" was #4, coincidental with the DVD release of its trilogy of films.
The profitable comparison-shopping site is preparing for an initial stock offering, but recently reduced the size of its expected offering.
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