Online sales increase by 23% over previous year

Online business increased 23.8% according the U.S. Department of Commerce, from the same period last year. This doesn't include the amount of business that is conducted 'offline', but was intitiated online.

And according to a recent BURST! survey, consumers' Internet use continues to grow at the expense of traditional media such as TV, radio, magazines and newspapers, as 61% of respondents said they spend more time on the Internet today than they did a year ago.

What these figures suggest (and you knew this), is that online business continue to grow substantially. And that people rely on the Internet, and particularly search, to find what they need. Search has become an (the?) enabler for the Internet, making things possible, and available, by matching up potential users, with providers. Even eBay's great business is threatened by the ease at which buyers can connect with sellers on the Internet via search.

Had lunch with someone recently who told me he got more business from his web site (even without our help yet :-) , than he ever got from going to trade shows or magazine advertising. My question to him then was why he didn't spend more time/money on marketing his web site then? His answer? - he just hadn't thought about it...