Industry predicts e-commerce to triple

A broad company survey released by consultants Towers Perrin suggests that the vast majority of the 300 respondents believe e-commerce will triple in revenue terms over the next two years.

The survey respondents were drawn primarily from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Europe and Australia. Over 35% of the respondents represent “traditional companies” with more than 5,000 employees. According to Towers Perrin, the survey also predicts a significant shift to business “strategic alliances” in the new Internet-based commerce world. Most companies recognize that they have made relatively modest changes to date in how they manage their business as a result of e-commerce. However, they accept that large-scale changes are forthcoming and acknowledge the speed required for change in the next two years. It goes beyond ‘business as usual’,” comments Peter Breseler, a consultant at Towers Perrin.