E-Commerce Gets Smart

[Kristijntje]

"Move things ahead, just not too quickly."

The world of online retail is slowly waking up to the wisdom of that philosophy. During the wild, anything-goes 1990s, the prevailing wisdom had the Internet taking over everything. Hundreds of firms sprang up to build online storefronts and service retailers willing to split sales to avoid the headaches of running a Web site.

Now while many of those boutiques are still going strong, they are being called on to refine their style. Many experts believe Web-store builders must focus on smaller retailers, direct-to-consumer specialists and synergistic cross selling among items like clothing and music, as well as merchandise sales that represent a secondary income source for companies in the sports and entertainment industries.

full article: http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/2006...etail.html