Online Shopping Boom Favours Niche Websites

The expansion of the online retail market is evident again this week as figures for 2005 were released. UK consumers bought �8.2bn ($14.3bn) of goods from websites last year � a 28.9% increase in internet marketing over 2004, according to market analysts Verdict. In cash terms that means shoppers spent an extra �1.8bn online in 2005. Verdict says the figures show internet shopping is closing in on the �9.4bn spent in department stores in 2005. Its retail analyst, Nick Gladding, said...