PCs Still Rule the E-Commerce Roost

According to research from GartnerG2, as much as 10 percent of the B2C e-commerce transactions in the United States will be done through devices other than the PC by 2005. This is a fairly significant portion of sales when you consider 99.8 percent of B2C e-commerce dollars will be spent via PC in 2001. "B2C e-commerce for products and services in the United States is projected to reach $61.8 billion in 2001 and grow to $227.7 billion in 2005," said Michael Cruz, senior analyst for GartnerG2. "In 2001, $61.7 billion of B2C e-commerce will be done through a PC, and online sales purchased through a TV will total a mere $107 million. In 2005, $204.8 billion will be done through a PC, $9.5 billion will be done through a mobile device and $13.4 billion will be done with a TV." GartnerG2 predicts that by 2005, 42 percent of U.S. consumers will use multiple platforms on a regular basis. While the PC will remain the dominant platform, interactive TV and mobile devices will be used primarily from location- or situation-specific buying. As for mobile users in the United States, the Yankee Group estimates 50 million wireless phone users in the United States will use their devices to authorize payment for premium content and physical goods by 2006. This represents 17 percent of the projected total population and 26 percent of all wireless users.