Launch a new e-commerce venture today and you might be met with some skepticism by friends, colleagues and investors. Fear not; e-commerce isn’t a trend but now a way of life. In the U.S., Web shopping will account for 8 percent of total sales by 2014. More importantly, 53 percent of total retail sales in the U.S. will be influenced by e-commerce, as consumers increasingly use the Internet to research products before purchasing.

* share from “e-Commerce, Software in Action”, Website Magazine May 2010