E-Commerce Comes of Age: Legal Challenges Continue

Although e-commerce has been around for about a dozen years, in many ways it really only came into its own in 2006. If you consider that online sales still account for only one per cent of all retail purchases, you might wonder whether e-commerce has actually progressed all that much. However, keep in mind that about another 20 per cent of offline transactions start with consumers conducting research over the web.

Consider also the explosion in so-called ‘social networking’ sites, like Facebook.com. These sites generate huge online communities centred on a common activity. Particularly for the younger generation (18–24 years old), participating in these sorts of online vehicles is an important part of their social makeup. And notice the commercial advertising that appears throughout such sites - clearly there is gold in capturing these youthful eyeballs. While still a relatively small percentage of the total ad spending budget, online advertising is growing incredibly quickly.