As consumers flock to high bandwith, e-retailers shake, rattle and roll

[mandy]

With more consumers using broadband connections to access the web in seconds, at a fraction of dial-up speed, retailers...are not only wowing shoppers with new features but also showing results in higher sales and conversion rates.

...the broadband environment is a watershed in the evolution of the Internet that has the potential to put a gulf between leading retailers and their less innovative competition, experts say. Although there’s still a risk that retailers could push the broadband envelope too far and alienate customers with confusing or useless features, broadband and the technology it supports are offering retailers the opportunity to charge ahead of their less forward-looking rivals.

Retailers can no longer ignore the opportunities and challenges broadband is placing on them, experts say. Rich media and other broadband-enabled applications, they add, are no longer just extra fluff to dazzle a highly targeted group of shoppers, but, rather, are features that more than half of online consumers expect.

full article:  http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=17145