Electronic commerce will exceed $US1.2 trillion by 2002, according to a new study by ActivMedia Research announced yesterday.
This will have a significant impact on the way that companies conduct business in the future, according to ActivMedia's study, "Real Numbers Behind 'Net Profits." By 2002, most business communications will arrive online by Web site, e-mail or Internet fax, or phone, the company said.
ActivMedia also predicted web-generated revenue will reach $US75 billion for 1998, more than tripling 1997 reports, and attributed that to the growth in the Web population and per-site revenue.
The disparity between "on-line" and "off-line" commerce has begun to blur over the past several years, said vice president of market research Harold Wolhandler, in the statement. Companies using on-line technologies to reduce expenses, boost productivity and increase sales will come out ahead, he added.
Growth was seen across all Web sectors including: retail, business-to-business, manufacturing, services, computing and networking, in addition to Internet service providers and marketing/designing consultants.