There is a major shift in the distribution channel. Information o value and compelling content that provide a direct benefit to the o consumer are critical elements to drive traffic and retain loyalty. Thirty-one companies, including online merchant Peapod, developed the research project. The study estimated only 200,000 households are now buying food and household goods online today, but by 2007 that number could hit 20m. Factors spurring online as a medium for shopping include a the attraction of new technology, and people who feel so pressured that they are less sensitive to price and are willing to spend more to save time.
Shoppers use a smart card and order from a personal pre-loaded shopping list.
An estimated 18 million U.S. households will participate in online o banking by the year 2002, up from 2.5 million at the end of 1996. Meanwhile, more than 3 million people have opened online stock o brokerage accounts, with that number expected to grow to about 15 o million by 2002. That o volume last year was double the online activity in 1996. At the same time, online investors were paying less o to trade. Research by investment firm Piper Jaffray Amazing Amazon.