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Quote:The holiday shopping predictions are in.

Forester Research reports online retail sales this holiday season will reach US$27 billion in the United States alone. JupiterResearch is a little more optimistic, adding $5 billion to that cheery figure. Jupiter further predicts that a record 114 million users will buy online this holiday season.

Researchers agree that mullah galore will pour through the online channel this November and December (and even into January), but what are the key trends that will drive the revenues? Will retailers continue to push the last-minute shipping envelope? Will there be any shockers this holiday season? Industry analysts weigh in on the trends pushing the billions in the last two months of 2006...

Three out of four holiday shoppers said they plan to shop for holiday gifts online, and 75 percent said they are likely to purchase gifts online from small businesses. Nearly a third of holiday shoppers said that they would do half or more of their holiday shopping online, and nearly two thirds said online specialty, "niche," or boutique retailers are one of the "best places" to shop for unusual or hard-to-find gifts...