Introduction

Back in the 1960s, it was said that opinions were like Volkswagens: Everybody had one. Fast-forward 40 years to today. When it comes to the future of e-commerce, it’s no different. It seems everyone is trying to sell something on the Internet. But what about the facts?

Some day, in the early part of the twenty-first century, the e-commerce landscape will contain either hundreds of thousands of e-commerce sites or just a few Wal-Mart–type sites competing for the attention and dollars of online consumers. As attractive as it might be to think that Wal-Mart will rule the Internet, as it seems to rule any community where it sets up shop, it just ain’t gonna happen. This includes current Goliaths like Amazon.