Well, there was that whole irrational exuberance thing, where investors and entrepreneurs thought e-commerce would grow at rates that we now know were never sustainable. But there was also a tendency for dot-coms to make common mistakes that reduced their chances of success. U.S. tech writer Ann Sullivan polled the experts to suggest these seven classic errors behind 2000's dot-com disasters. Market-research firm IDC says this is the year that international surfers will outspend U.S. online shoppers.
Many companies underbudget their needs in website maintenance and marketing.
The resulting chill has set back many e-commerce initiatives.