By George Anderson
Dan Hess, senior vice president of comScore Networks, told attendees at the Internet Retailer 2005 conference that the growth of broadband connections in homes is helping to drive an increase in online retail sales.
Mr. Hess said, excluding auctions and travel, online retail sales grew 26 percent last year to $65 billion.
Today, more than half of the Internet users in the U.S. have a broadband connection at home, said Mr. Hess.
According to a Dow Jones Newswires' report, greater access to broadband connections as well as "more consumers feeling comfortable using the Internet to shop; an increased use of search engines to find items; the increased use of comparison shopping sites; and retailers reaching customers through several mediums" are the five most important factors behind the growth in online sales.
Consumers' increasing comfort is evident when you see that higher-priced items such as jewelry, watches, furniture and appliances are being purchased more frequently online.
Moderator's Comment: What do you see as the biggest challenges that need to be overcome to get even more consumers shopping online? Which retailers make it easiest to shop online? How do they do it? - George Anderson - Moderator