Getting critical mass from e-tailing becomes crucial. Though the number of potential shoppers with Internet access is growing, most of them aren't in the mood to shop when they surf. And there's the huge pool of people who're aware of and interested in the concept of e-tailing but simply don't have access to it. Most Internet users have access from an office, and it's difficult to do personal shopping. So there is a base of users with access, but not at the right place.
People have differing levels of comfort with different categories online.
Garments, for instance, haven't been a big e-tailing hit, because customers need the tactile experience before buying. But gifts, office products, durables, and household goods are better suited to online buying. In case of B2C a good exchange scenario could be established where the buyers and sellers can get together and the best prices are realised, only when access to the net becomes much more wide and the speed of access increases. In case of B2B it is a good idea as can be seen from the success of FreeMarkets Online. Businesses generally have high speed intranet connected to the internet and the managers with the right training can harness the power of internet in achieving significant cost-savings for the company.