By Margaret Donahue-Rippetue -

A report from Forrester Research predicts strong online sales will grow up to $210 billion by 2010, representing a 14 percent compound annual growth rate over the next five years. This takes into account that online sales in 2005 will top a record $100 billion dollars.

E-commerce is here to stay. Nearly two-thirds of households in North America are actively online, with most already having made at least one purchase. Most people research items they plan to purchase online, and the report states after making a purchase that they are likely to be loyal to the product. Web stores have no closing time; busy consumers can shop without leaving their homes.

More manufacturers are anticipated to launch e-commerce sites as they learn that up to 27 percent of web shoppers have purchased from a manufacturer’s site. Along with traditional retail sites, overstocked items are also available at sites such as OverStock.com, and there is an auction every day at Ebay.com. Innovative dealers are allowing consumers to purchase items online, and then to pick up the items in their local store - helping to bring a new segment of the population into a comfort zone with online shopping.

For interesting sites by category that offer online shopping visit http://dmoz.org/Shopping/

Online Sales Strong for Start of Season http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051130/ap_on_hi_te/online_sales_1