E-tailers could be off their trolleys

It's somewhat comforting to know that, even in this new economy, the old rules apply.

More mature consumers can increasingly isolated by talk of dot.com this and e-that.

It hasn't helped that new technology has brought with it a whole new lexicon and a far faster pace of change.

But for all their flashy sites and technospeak, the latest generation of e-tailers are missing some of the fundamentals.

A survey this week of US and British ecommerce sites found many were more sizzle than substance, driving customers away due to lack of service, including reliable after-sales service.

The problem seems to lie in the belief that the online world is a revolutionary departure.

Maybe, e-tailers would be better off treating the Internet for what it is - a technology allowing retailers extend good business practice.

The people who carried out the survey said three-quarters of online shoppers abandon their purchases before paying for them.

As they point out, you don't find a host of filled supermarket trolleys abandoned in the aisles of supermarkets belonging to shoppers who have gone home, having got fed up trying to buy their goods.