Failure hasn't been limited to the consumer market, either. Many of the e-commerce companies that remain are holding down marketing budgets and shoring up business plans like homeowners preparing for a hurricane. Inadequate order fulfillment Stocking physical stores by the palette-load is one thing. Supporting single-unit online sales is entirely different. And the law doesn't leave much room for error.
Seconds count in online shopping satisfaction.
In November 2000, Internet performance monitor Keynote Systems measured the time to conduct a multistep Web transaction in several vertical markets. The slowest sites took roughly 25 seconds. To compete, companies need to address a global audience, says IDC research analyst Rob Rosenthal. A start-up rushing to get online may postpone international plans, intending to work the kinks out of the business before expanding overseas. But that could give local competitors the edge.