AVI - What's New?

SURVEYS THIS WEEK:
June 1, 1998

FEATURE:

One Third of Slovenian Users are Regular Users

INTERNATIONAL:

80,000 Online in Indonesia

BANKING/TRADING:

5 Million have Banked Online in US
Dell Earning USD5 Million Online Per Day

ECOMMERCE:

Ecommerce Power Grid To Emerge
Ecommerce in Europe Takes Off
Web Shoppers to Spend USD26 billion by 2002
Bots Help Retailers Attract Consumers
Shoppers Still Concerned About Privacy

ADVERTISING / MARKETING:

Traditional Advertising Boosts Online Traffic

TECHNICAL:

IP to Support Telephone Traffic

MISCELLANEOUS:

Qualified Staff to Become Increasingly Scarce

May 19 1998: Internet banks are catching on, luring customers with higher interest rates and the convenience of banking at home.

According to the Online Banking Report, currently close to 5 million people, or 5 percent of the U.S. population, do some form of online banking, but by the end of 2001, that number will go up to about 22 million, or 21 percent of the population.

Customers of virtual banks can make deposits, check accounts, pay bills, transfer funds, and apply for loans 24 hours a day, while reaping as much as 4 percent interest on some checking accounts, compared to 1 percent to 1.5 percent at brick-and-mortar institutions.

May 20 1998: In a report released yesterday by Forrester Research Inc., "Sizing Commerce Software", analysts predicted that the market for commerce software in the US will grow from a value of USD121 in 1997 to USD3.8 billion by 2002.

Forrester predict that worldwide revenue for commerce software will total USD4.9 billion by the start of the next century.

The growth will be fueled by the imminent surge of businesses online. This in turn will result in increased demand for web based technologies from both businesses and consumers. It will also be driven by a penchant among buyers for large scale commerce solutions.

"The next two years will produce dramatic growth in the commerce software market as businesses get serious about buying, selling, and trading on-line,".

Forrester identified three trends which they predict will emerge. Sell-side systems and tools will dominate the market, customer service applications will comprise a large segment (tools for delivering enhanced self-service, order confirmation and tracking, proactive communication with consumers) and buy-side software will be adopted by large firms and businesses who want to streamline purchasing.

Forrester also predict that as the business-to-business market expands a power grid will emerge and a number of key industries will transpire as the main players. This grid will support dynamic trading processes and as the ecommerce power grids expand, the whole business environment will be reshaped.

NEWS AND UPDATES