Cost savings derived from electronic commerce will total $US1.25 trillion in industrialised nations by 2002, according to a new report from Giga Information Group.
That figure compares with global e-commerce-related cost savings of $17.6 billion last year.
Most of those savings -- about $15 billion -- occurred in the US. Giga estimates that US companies will save more than $600 billion in 2002, primarily through internet-based electronic order handling and processing, supply-chain management and procurement, marketing and customer service.