By the end of the year, more than 600 million people will access the internet worldwide, spending more than $1 trillion dollars, a new study from IDC, the US’s global provider of technology forecasts.
According to the study, even in the current global recession, the internet is still growing.
The study also found that worldwide ecommerce spending grew 68 per cent between 2000 and 2001, despite economic problems and political unrest, reaching more than US$600 billion in 2001.
IDC forecasts that ecommerce spending will pass the $1 trillion mark in 2002.
Growth in all regions will be strong, but the factors behind that growth and the drivers of continued growth vary by region by country.
The study also found that:
- approximately 80 per cent of the population using the Internet at least once per month by 2006.
- The common currency in Western Europe will ultimately result in increased price transparency, enhanced competition, and better offers for on-line buyers.
- IT vendors are already enabling distributors and resellers to order products via Web-based systems in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
- Mobile phone usage remains high in Asia Pacific, but mobile commerce will take time to achieve potential.
However, the study adds, the concept of the internet as a unifying force, allowing businesses to reach the most remote corners of the globe via a single medium is no longer viable.
Users now cut across age barrier, education levels and occupations how they connect very much depends on their technology orientation and policies of the local country.
"In effect, instead of the Internet normalizing worldwide variations, it has become a reflection of the many geographies, cultures, economics and political conditions that exist in the off-line world," said Carol Glasheen, program vice president of IDC's Global Research Organization.
"Consequently, businesses utilizing the Internet must understand the variations and complexities of internet use in each country if they are to capture the vast opportunity