Las ventas por Internet alcanzarán los 10.000 millones este año en España, lo que supondrá un crecimiento del 56 por ciento con respecto a los 6.400 millones de 2008, según las previsiones de la Asociación Española de Comercio Electrónico y Marketing Relacional (AECEM).

En declaraciones a los medios tras la presentación del "Libro Blanco del Comercio Electrónico", el presidente de AECEM, Marti Manent, explicó que en la cifra prevista se incluyen únicamente las ventas directas al consumidor final (B2C, por sus siglas en inglés) y no los intercambios entre empresas (B2B). Según Manent, la crisis ha acelerado el desarrollo del comercio electrónico en España y las compras por este canal están teniendo mejor comportamiento que en las tiendas tradicionales en la mayoría de los sectores.

No obstante, Manent señaló que el crecimiento de las ventas "online" no está siendo suficiente para compensar la caída del consumo tradicional y que muchos empresarios "se arrepienten" de no haber apostado antes por este canal. Un mercado, explicó Manent, en el que aún queda mucho potencial, ya que, según los datos de la asociación, el 88 por ciento de las empresas españolas aún no tiene ninguna presencia en Internet.

Además de por el volumen de ventas, estar en Internet se ha convertido en algo "esencial" porque en torno al 60 por ciento de las ventas están vinculadas a búsquedas previas en Internet, explicó Manent.

Precisamente, para animar a las empresas españolas a entrar en este mercado, la asociación ha editado el "Libro Blanco del Comercio Electrónico" en el que incluyen consejos prácticos sobre la venta de productos y servicios en la Red, los elementos que debe tener una tienda "online", los sistemas de pago, los aspectos legales, el trato al cliente o las herramientas para medir el éxito de una tienda "online".

Noticia publicda por Finanzas.com

Although there are very few items for sale so far, the website www.harej.com, which is named after the old market in Baghdad, hopes to become a business site for local and international clients. According to Reuters, its creator, IT expert Mehdi al-Ajwadi, is aware that the site "will take time to be used by the majority since only a small proportion of the population has internet access in a country destroyed by years of conflict".

For the moment, the website operates in Arabic and Kurdish and offers both new and second hand goods in various categories, including electronics, furniture or housing, although the most visited section is for cars.

"In the future, when credit cards become more common and their use is widespread, we'll charge a percentage of each transaction" he said to Reuters. Another of his long term projects is to develop a service to facilitate deliveries between buyers and sellers and to be able to expand outside of Iraq.

Source: Reuters

El Consejo de Ministros ha aprobado hoy el acuerdo por el que se autoriza la primera adenda del año 2009 al convenio de colaboración entre el Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio y el Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) para la línea de financiación ICO-Plan Avanza, que desde su puesta en marcha ya ha beneficiado a más de 82.000 pymes y más de 174.000 ciudadanos.

En virtud de la adenda, la Secretaría de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información transferirá 399,40 millones de euros al ICO para el desarrollo de la línea de financiación, cuyo objetivo es potenciar y dinamizar las inversiones en tecnologías de la información y de las comunicaciones mediante la concesión de préstamos a ciudadanos y empresas. De este modo, el importe total de la línea asciende a 1.707,40 millones de euros.

Avanza2 se estructura en cinco líneas de actuación: desarrollo del Sector TIC, Capacitación TIC, Servicios Públicos Digitales, Infraestructura y Confianza, Seguridad y Accesibilidad.

Se enmarca dentro de las medidas del Plan E que se ha adoptado por el Gobierno para sostener la actividad económica y sentar las bases de un crecimiento sostenible futuro. http://www.plane.gob.es/plan-avanza2/

According to the online sales index for the retail sector by IMRG Capgemini, e-commerce sales increased by 8.2% last May compared to the same period the year before, which is the lowest growth rate since the index began 9 years ago.

Mike Petevinos, retail manager for Capgemini UK, says that although online sales continue to outperform the British high streets, consumers are clearly changing their ways due to the recession, despite the fact that those who turn to the Internet to save money are beginning to cut back on spending.

The products that increased their sale rates most were online accessories (69.9% for the year), electronic products (27.9%) and health and beauty (26.3%).

A pesar de que es relativamente fácil lanzarse a la venta online en términos de coste, las pymes españolas siguen mostrándose reticentes en un alto porcentaje a la venta online: "Para las pyme sin lugar a duda el desconocimiento general del medio es una gran barrera", confirma el presidente de la Asociación Española de Comercio Electrónico y Marketing Relacional (AECEM), Martí Manent. Por eso esta organización acaba de iniciar un programa de divulgación del comercio electrónico para formar a más de 1000 profesionales.

En palabras del presidente de AECEM, el comercio electrónico para los consumidores es un canal que ofrece la posibilidad de comprar a distancia bienes y servicios que no encuentra en su entorno cercano o a los que tiene difícil acceso y normalmente a un precio inferior al de las tiendas físicas. "Para las empresas es un canal más de venta, que implica una inversión reducida y permite a empresas que operan localmente hacerlo globalmente con una relativamente modesta inversión en recursos". Y por eso supone una oportunidad para la internacionalización de la PYME española.

El programa de divulgación sobre el comercio electrónico se enmarca dentro del Plan Avanza, impulsado por el Ministerio de Industria, en el capítulo de Economía Digital centrado en Pymes. AECEM ha diseñado un programa sobre los aspectos más importantes a tener en cuenta para que una PYME se lance a operar online o mejorar su eficacia y rendimiento si ya lo está haciendo: medios de pago, legalidad, logística, marketing online, fidelización... "un programa de 360º alrededor de este canal".

"Apoyados en nuestro know-how como asociación referente y con casos de éxito nos desplazaremos a diez ciudades españolas con este objetivo, formando a más de 1000 profesionales", afirma Manent. El proyecto concluye con la edición de un Libro Blanco de Comercio Electrónico que pretende ser una guía que integre toda esta información.

El consumo online se ha visto afectado por la situación económica? ¿Qué clase de productos adquieren los españoles por internet en momentos difíciles? Para responder a estas preguntas, eBay ha querido analizar las tendencias en consumo de los usuarios europeos. Observando aquellas categorías en las que se ha detectado un mayor incremento de compras en 2009, y comparándolas con las compras registradas durante el primer trimestre de 2008, se han revelado aquellas categorías que más protagonismo han cobrado entre los consumidores en los últimos 12 meses.

La reducción de capacidad adquisitiva que estamos experimentando no impide lucir nuestro mejor aspecto; muchos consumidores ahorran cambiando el salón de belleza por su propio hogar. eBay.es ha comprobado que en España se ha incrementado notablemente la venta de productos de manicura y pedicura, con un 48%, productos para la depilación (44%), cuidado del cabello (29%), y maquillaje (28%). Otra de las categorías que mayor incremento ha registrado en el periodo analizado de 2009 ha sido la compra de ropa interior y lencería, con un 60%.

En cuanto al resto de Europa, Irlanda ha duplicado sus ventas en productos de manicura y pedicura; Italia y Polonia han registrado aumentos en las ventas de productos de peluquería en un 33% y 114% respectivamente; y Bélgica ha visto sus ventas de lencería incrementadas en un 32%. Los británicos, en cambio, son los más conservadores y prefieren reciclar las prendas que ya tienen, con un 97% de incremento en la venta de artículos de arreglo de calzado.

Otras categorías que han experimentado un incremento notable en las ventas en eBay.es son Plantas y Semillas, con un 71%, y Herramientas de Jardinería (65%). Esta tendencia se ha observado en todos los países analizados, aunque con algunas especificidades. En Italia se ha registrado un incremento del 50% en la venta de muebles de exterior, mientras que en Francia lo que más se venden son los invernaderos, con un aumento del 73% con respecto a 2008. Irlanda es el país más "verde" de Europa, habiendo registrado incrementos del 125% en plantas y semillas y 127% en herramientas de jardinería.

Noticia publicada por MarketingDirecto.com

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has unveiled a report including directives and recommendations to help the member countries of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) to develop in the area of e-commerce.

The principal objective of the document is to increase the use of information technologies in Latin American countries, particularly in relation to commercial and administrative activities.

According to the text, more legislation is required in order to cover the broad spectrum of cyber issues, and most of the currently existing laws will also need to be changed. However, the report concludes that what is needed above all is for current legislation to be harmonized to make it possible for trade to be carried out between countries, as well as between the regions, states or provinces of individual countries governed by more than set of regulations.  

The report analyzes issues relating to electronic transactions, electronic signatures, consumer protection, data privacy, cyber crime, intellectual property and domain names. The various steps taken and regulations adopted by the regional integration bodies, such as ALADI itself, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), are also studied.

UNCTAD has organized courses to train those people who will be involved in drafting legislation in these areas, to help them understand the international context, the options available, and the recommendations of this UN agency.

The 9^th of June 2009, SoloStocks finally launched 5 new web portals, to give companies and professionals the opportunity to expand their business internationally.

Germany, Portugal, Morocco, Chile and Colombia are the chosen ones to be added to the seven already active webs, under the slogan ‘The marketplace 2B - connecting companies, creating business.'

The international aim of the Project will allow the entrepreneurs and professionals, leading a B2B activity, to advertise their products to other companies not only in their countries but also abroad, creating new business opportunities.

Spain (launched in 1999) Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Mexico and Poland (launched in 2008) have a total of more than 85.000 registered companies and 485.000 product offers.

SoloStocks belongs to Grupo Intercom, the leading company in Spain for what concerns the creation and development of Internet businesses. During its history it created more than 40 web pages. It has always been characterized by technological innovation and the capacity to leader different business fields with the introduction of new methods of e-marketing and Internet publicity. Companies such as Infojobs.net, Softonic.com, emagister.com, SoloStocks.com or MailxMail.com stand for its successful online development.  

The International SoloStocks webpage can be seen at http://www.solostocks-int.com/

The survey carried out by OpinionWay for espacemax.com using a sample of 1,293 respondents aged between 18 and 65 removes any doubt about whether luxury products are being sold over the Internet. According to the survey, one in every four Internet buyers has purchased a luxury product via the web in the past 12 months. What is more, 80% say they intend to do so again.

The study, which was carried out at the end of April, is quite encouraging for Internet sales pages. In the case of espacemax.com in particular, it has acted as a reason for it to boost its range of products in the high range and luxury bracket.

In terms of frequency of purchase of luxury items over the Internet, one in every three people replied that they did so at least once per month. Some 46% of these buyers, meanwhile, are aged between 35 and 49 years old, while 13% say their purchasing intention has increased. For now, private sales account for most Internet sales, at 71%.

In terms of the reasons cited for buying over the Internet instead of in stores, 82% of respondents gave price as their reason. However, the study shows that 60% of these Internet buyers had previously made purchases over the Internet at store prices.

The advantage is in time savings, since the purchase is sent to the buyer's house. This means Internet buyers will not only be interested in products from previous seasons, but also from new collections. Previous and new collections can coexist happily, since 85% of buyers believe it is a clever move to list products from earlier seasons at reduced prices on the same web pages as products from new collections advertised at store retail prices.

This trend mainly affects prêt-à-porter clothing ranges, but is closely followed by the footwear, leather goods, watch, jewelry and accessories sectors. Another sign of how things are developing is that, according to the respondents, the Internet does no harm to the image of luxury products, but rather makes them seem accessible, able to adapt to clients' expectations and, at the end of the day, more modern.

In terms of fashion brands, the most sought-after are Dior and Chanel, followed by Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès, Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss and Lacoste.

Following on from the consensus reached between the public and private sectors involved in this activity, the Panamanian Trade Minster, Gisela Álvarez de Porras, announced that the regulations to Law 51 of 2008, which covers the area of electronic commerce in the country, came into effect after Executive Decree 40 of May 19, 2009, which contains the regulation, was published in the Official State Gazette.  

Álvarez de Porras said these regulations were the fruit of joint efforts by the government and the private sector to promote the use of information technologies and the development of electronic commerce "as tools to help to optimize and boost the competitiveness of the productive sectors in Panama". "There will also be a significant impact on public sector efficiency and flexibility, since manual papers, stamps and signatures will be substituted with electronic documents and signatures", she added.

The regulations will make it easier to register and supervise electronic storage services, the certification of signatures and electronic certification, and commercial services provided over the Internet, ensuring legal security for all actions and relationships involved with these activities.

The General Directorate of Foreign Trade (DGCE) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Mici), together with public and private bodies, will have the responsibility of creating a system to identify companies that have become voluntary members, based on compliance with codes of practice, and with high technical and procedural standards in order to guarantee the privacy of information and security for operations and transactions carried out via commercial web sites.

E-commerce via the Internet is a recent development in Panama, and is used by some supermarket chains, banks and companies in the Colon Free Trade Zone (Caribbean), as well as within government. The Mici said in a press release that it intends to ensure that small and medium companies take part in this new means of doing business, incorporating technological solutions that could enable them to successfully penetrate the global market at low cost.

Panama is the first country in Central America to have drawn up legislation regarding e-commerce, which it has done with the support of the public and private sectors, and which is significant in that it covers areas important for future development of the sector, such as basic telecommunications infrastructure and fiscal incentives.

Article published by ADN.es

Shopping on the Internet is becoming more and more common among German consumers. The number of users who have made a purchase on the Internet has increased by 28.1%, according to the Webshopping 2009 study by Quelle. Around 97.4% of all active Internet users aged 18 to 64 have made at least one purchase on the Internet in the past twelve months. More money has also been spent on electronic commerce; the average expenditure is between €100 and €499.

Approximately 87.7% of those taking the survey are convinced that the online shopping trend will continue. A total of 92.4% of the users believe that the Internet will be the sales channel that grows most over the coming five years.

When shopping online, 91.2% of those surveyed believe that there is a good quality-to-price ratio, 88.8% would like the purchasing processes to be more convenient and 88.7% would like them to be clearer. Around 65% of the participants choose the products they buy online based on the brand.

Users find the lack of personal attention in online shopping to be an inconvenience, and to compensate, they turn to the comments and information on the product provided on the Internet. For users aged 18 to 29, communities play a key role in this area.

As regards what could be improved in online shopping, users mention connections, content loading times and security in the online shops.

Article published by  MARKETINGdirecto.com

According to the N-economía report for May, in 2008, the total amount for electronic commerce transactions in China was in excess of 3 trillion yuans (nearly €317 billion), representing a 40% increase compared to 2007.

In the final quarter of 2008, Chinese buyers on the global Alibaba platform increased by 1.2 million users. According to Nie Linghai, Director of Information Technology at the Ministry of Trade for the People's Republic of China, the economic crisis represented an opportunity for Chinese e-commerce. Alibaba, a business established 10 years ago by Ma Yun, has benefited most from this increase. In fact, it is a pioneer in an activity that it shares with platforms such as Taobao and iPay.

Electronic commerce in China has become a shelter for small and medium-sized industry, providing it a much broader market, separate from the national market.

Excerpt from the May 2009 N-economía report

Shopping on the Internet is becoming more and more common among German consumers. The number of users who have made a purchase on the Internet has increased by 28.1%, according to the Webshopping 2009 study by Quelle. Around 97.4% of all active Internet users aged 18 to 64 have made at least one purchase on the Internet in the past twelve months. More money has also been spent on electronic commerce; the average expenditure is between €100 and €499.

Approximately 87.7% of those taking the survey are convinced that the online shopping trend will continue. A total of 92.4% of the users believe that the Internet will be the sales channel that grows most over the coming five years.

When shopping online, 91.2% of those surveyed believe that there is a good quality-to-price ratio, 88.8% would like the purchasing processes to be more convenient and 88.7% would like them to be clearer. Around 65% of the participants choose the products they buy online based on the brand.

Users find the lack of personal attention in online shopping to be an inconvenience, and to compensate, they turn to the comments and information on the product provided on the Internet. For users aged 18 to 29, communities play a key role in this area.

As regards what could be improved in online shopping, users mention connections, content loading times and security in the online shops.

Article published by MARKETINGdirecto.com

Among the conclusions of the report are that by the year 2012, 850 million people will buy and sell products and services on the Internet. Online commerce will have doubled, reaching $13 trillion, mostly from B2B transactions (directly between businesses and between businesses and entities).

The amount of digital information created in 2008 grew 3% faster, 16 million gigabytes, compared to the previous IDC forecasts. The Digital Universe is also expected to double in size every 18 months. By 2012, it will have increased five-fold.

During the final quarter of last year, there was an increase in shopping on the Internet by Indian consumers. This has occurred despite the unfavorable economic situation, according to research conducted by Mastercard Worldwide.

The study, based on a survey of 5,037 customers and consumers, shows that the frequency of online purchases had increased by 2.9% in the reference period. However, the average expenditure in this type of purchase had fallen slightly.

Most of the purchases on the Internet in the country were made following a study of needs by the customers and consumers, discarding acts of impulse buying. Some 83% of the buyers admitted to planning in advance, conducting a basic analysis of the options and alternatives for making the purchases.

In India, 54% of the survey participants said that they had shopped on the Internet. The three most popular products include airplane tickets (54%), home electronics products (48%) and audiovisual entertainment (44%). According to T.V. Seshadri, Mastercard Worldwide Vice President and Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, India is the only country in the group in which the 18 to 29 age group has the highest average expenditure in online shopping.

SoloStocks announces the launch of 5 new web portals at the beginning of June, with the main intention to respond to the need of companies to expand their business through e-commerce.

Germany, Portugal, Morocco, Chile and Colombia are the new sites which will be added to the seven already active webs, under the slogan ‘The marketplace 2B - connecting companies, creating business.'

The international aim of the Project will allow the entrepreneurs and professionals, leading a B2B activity, to advertise their products to other companies not only in their countries but also abroad, creating new business opportunities.

Spain (launched in 1999) Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Mexico and Poland (launched in 2008) have a total of more than 85.000 registered companies and 485.000 product offers.

SoloStocks belongs to Grupo Intercom, the leading company in Spain for what concerns the creation and development of Internet businesses. During its history it created more than 40 web pages. It has always been characterized by technological innovation and the capacity to leader different business fields with the introduction of new methods of e-marketing and Internet publicity. Companies such as Infojobs.net, Softonic.com, emagister.com, SoloStocks.com or MailxMail.com stand for its successful online development.  

Por quinto año consecutivo, el 17 de mayo la Comunidad Iberoamericana de Naciones se ha volvado en la celebración del Día Mundial de Internet. Más de 500 eventos repartidos entre 23 países en los que han participado cerca de 32.300 personas han hecho de esta efeméride una gran fiesta de Internet y de las Nuevas Tecnologías.

Madrid no quiso quedarse ajena a esta celebración; por ello durante toda la tarde-noche del 17 de mayo, la Plaza de Chamberí acogió una fiesta con música en directo de la mano de la banda de jazz de Nueva Orleans "Bourbon Street Dixieland", sorteos de ordenadores y ratones con diseño exclusivo; además de retos tecnológicos para los más pequeños. Como novedad en esta edición, el grupo de hip-hop procedentes de Tudela (Navarra), presentaron la canción "a un solo click", una propuesta para dinamizar la participación y el uso de la Red a los más jóvenes.

Durante la tarde, los ganadores del concurso "Diseña tu sello de Internet" recibieron sus premios, galardones que por votación popular a través de Internet recayeron en Belén Solano Luís, de 7 años y alumna del colegio Inmaculado Corazón de María Escolapias (Logroño, La Rioja); y en Miguel Ángel Rivero Murillo, participante del apartado de particulares. Una amplía selección de las obras presentadas pudo verse en una de las carpas que la organización tenía situadas detrás del templete, en las que además podía recogerse información relacionada con Internet y participar en numerosas actividades y concursos.

"El día grande de Internet se cierra con un broche de oro que nos reúne, en la Plaza de Chamberí, a todos los que hemos trabajado para hacer realidad un año más la celebración de esta V edición del día mundial de Internet que esta haciendo llegar a millones de personas en todo el mundo mensajes positivos sobre el uso de Internet y sensibilizando a todos los agentes de la importancia de hacer las tecnologías accesibles a los que tienen alguna discapacidad", afirmo Pérez Subías presidente de la Asociación de Usuarios de Internet.

E-commerce sales grew by 26% in the first quarter, especially in the fashion and technology sectors thanks to special promotions and prices.

According to data published by FEVAD, the French electronic commerce and distance selling federation, electronic tourism activity is declining. The federation states that revenues reached 5.6 billion in the first quarter, although the average price of the shopping basket fell by 5% due to aggressive price policies and price cutting.

Electronic tourism business fell by 1% reflecting the economic situation. According to FEVAD this is its first decline following a trend of more than 10% growth in sales.

Overall, e-commerce sales should increase throughout this year by 20% to 25%, similar to 2008, thanks to the creation of new websites and the diversification of supply. Pixmania, for example, which originally specialized in the technology sector, now distributes clothing and cosmetic products, highlighting the only strategy to fend off the crisis.

Despite the current difficult economic outlook, electronic commerce continues to grow in Sweden. According to data from the Trade Research Institute (HUI), sales grew by 7.9% in the first quarter of the year. Forecasts by the HUI show that e-commerce will be worth approximately 21.5 billion Coronas (nearly 2.0 billion Euros) this year and 77% of consumers say that they will visit an online store in the next six months. However, despite the positive nature of this data, the overall trend has been a slowdown following 15% annual growth last year.

Nevertheless, e-commerce continues to be an option with great potential (although it still accounts for a small percentage) compared to traditional retailing, which is expected to be flat for the year.

According to the HUI, the main reason for this growth is the advantage of being able to compare prices, especially at a time when people are particularly price sensitive, allowing them to shop from home without having to visit multiple retailers.

The semi-annual Directors meeting of the international team of eMarketServices, an initiative aimed at boosting the use of eMarketplaces as a means to promote the internationalization of SMEs - was held on April 28 and 29 at the Madrid headquarters of the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX).

In the context of the current economic crisis, the representatives of the Trade Promotion organizations of Canada, Norway, Mexico and Spain, the countries currently involved in this international project, invited various representatives from the leading Spanish eMarketplaces to take part in a round table event in order to obtain a better understanding of how they have been affected, and as to what measures could be undertaken by public bodies in order to help develop the sector. 

Little affected by the crisis

One of the conclusions reached was that the crisis is not affecting the sector to any great degree. Although some small companies are closing down and thus ceasing their activities within eMarketplaces, new clients are still being acquired as emarketplaces are seen as  a  an excellent means of internationalization, as it is a distribution channel that does not require large investments, and it allows enterprises to sell or exchange surplus stock, or simply find new and better suppliers.   

Speaking on this subject, Jaime Martínez, Director of http://www.acambiode.com/, an electronic marketplace in which companies can exchange their products and services by means of barter, noted that many companies are starting to use his firm's services in order to get reduce  their surplus inventories. "In this way they can get hold of products/services that they need while simultaneously reducing those goods that  they have not been able to sell through regular channels," he says.

In spite the increasing use by companies using this distribution channel adoption is still slow, apparently because of the continued lack of knowledge about their existence or of the benefits they can bring. However the emarketplace representatives believe the adoption of emarket places is even more persuasive in times of economic difficulties.  The proof that they are effective is that, according to our survey, the 84% of the companies that use them have cut their costs or benefited in other ways.

Security - the major challenge

There is still some distrust in carrying out web-based operations, and many companies are not keen to give up the traditional face-to-face model. "They don't realize that this can be a complementary model rather than a substitute," says José Manuel Iáñez, director of http://www.itbid.org/ and an expert in eMarketplaces. "They are also unaware that the security measures of these marketplaces are being increased all the time in order to prevent any possible fraud." Some eMarketplaces, such as those developed by Itbid, are closed ones in which the company seeking suppliers can decide which companies may or may not join.

However, measures also exist in open eMarketplaces to ensure participants' security. "Before any company can join, checks are carried out into all the information provided in order to prevent the entry of fraudulent companies," says Philipp Gavaldá, CEO of http://www.solostocks.com/, one of the largest Spanish eMarketplaces. Solostocks' international CEO, Nicolás Alfín, stresses that the products offered are evaluated as well. "We always make sure they are legal, and reject any dubious products, or sensitive ones such as medicines or weapons," he says. 

One of eMarketServices' commitments is to make every effort to provide high quality information to users so that companies can identify those eMarketplaces in which secure transactions can be carried out, and which also  provide clear and correct information about themselves, in order to increase companies' trust in this B2B channel. The aim is to encourage companies to use these emarketplaces, thereby increasing the credibility of those secure eMarketplaces that have the endorsement  of the eMarketServices initiative.

Article published by ElArgentino.com

The large Chinese e-commerce B2B firm Alibaba Group still views the United States as the most important market within its overseas investment strategy, Wei Zhe, the company's general manager, said today.

The group will this year invest one-third of its recently constituted US$30 million fund for foreign markets in the United States, Wei Zhe told Xinhua during the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference, which started today in the southern Chinese province of Hainan.

"Alibaba plans to double its workforce in the United States in order to give a boost to its commercialization and client service," said Wei Zhe, adding that companies worldwide need new business opportunities in order to tackle the current crisis, and that this has provided a great opportunity for Alibaba to expand its own business.

Last year the group developed the Indian and Japanese markets, and has established the largest e-commerce platform in both countries. Now it is also planning to develop commercial platforms in other languages, such as Spanish, French and Russian. "We have never considered acquiring or controlling other companies, but we hope to help local e-commerce companies to achieve success, which will in turn make Alibaba's global strategy a success," said the group's general manager.

Article published by spanish.china.org.cn

Shoe sales on the Internet increase daily in China thanks to the financial crisis, as consumers are favoring less expensive products offered online, explains Tim Li, one of the owners of Okay Buy, the Asian giant's largest athletic shoe website.

"All web pages are benefiting from the financial crisis. Consumers were more impulsive before and the bought what they saw in the shops, but now they put much more thought into their choices, and many are turning to the Internet", says Tim.

The company opened less than two years ago and, according to the young businessman, one of the reasons for not starting up the website sooner was that "many of us mistakenly believed that people prefer to try on shoes before buying them". However, after seeing the success of the American shoe sales website zappos.com, with nearly $100 million (€73.4 million) in annual turnover, Tim and his partner had no doubts.

"The Chinese shoe market is one of the largest in the world. China has incredible potential in this business, so it was worth taking risks and introducing the product online", he said. Despite successful sales (20% growth), the company still prefers not to take risks with unknown brands, holding contracts with major brands such as Nike, Puma, Adidas or Reebok, which represent 90% of their sales.

"In China", says Tim, "there are very small cities that do not have shops with shoe brands of this type, and we send them with delivery charges of just €1, so our customers often receive the shoes at half the price of those in the establishments".

"It used to be common for us to run out of stock and we had to return 40% of the orders. Now, however, it is rare that we have to make reimbursements, since we always have shoes available for the customers. If the company continues to perform this well, within a few years we will be able to buy the American zappos.com site", he concludes.

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Según los datos extraídos del último informe de la Comisión del Mercado de Telecomunicaciones (CMT), España ocupa el número 15 a nivel mundial en el uso de Internet como mecanismo de compra, gracias al crecimiento del 40% del comercio electrónico respecto al 2007.

Según el Dr. Julio Villalobos Hidalgo, Director académico del Área de Salud de la UOC, "El sector sanitario español, por su complejidad, su idiosincrasia y quizás por su inercia, ha tardado más tiempo que otros sectores más emprendedores en incorporar las tecnologías de la información".

A pesar de que el volumen de negocio del e-commerce en el sector sanitario aún está por detrás de otros sectores de la economía, la implantación de los sistemas de compra electrónicos es un hecho irreversible. En el entorno actual de decrecimiento económico es esencial para las entidades sanitarias buscar estrategias de control de gastos sin perder la calidad de sus servicios.

En cuanto a las transacciones electrónicas realizadas en 2008, a través de la plataforma Bionexo se movieron 318 millones de € en la compra de productos sanitarios (fungibles y fármacos) y no sanitarios (materiales de limpieza, hostelería, oficina y textiles), superando en un 28% los 248 millones de € del año anterior.

Juan Pablo Villalobos, director de operaciones de Bionexo Ibérica, afirma que "El número de hospitales y otras entidades sanitarias que se han incorporado a la plataforma Bionexo durante 2008 ha sido de 96 instituciones, creando la mayor comunidad virtual de instituciones y proveedores sanitarios con una red de 362 hospitales, clínicas y operadores de salud en Brasil, Argentina y España".

Bionexo continuará con su proyecto de expansión internacional llegando a Colombia este mes de abril y a México, donde espera aterrizar en julio de 2009. Para este ejercicio también tiene previsto comenzar operaciones en Portugal.

According to data published by the European Commission in a working paper, there is a growing difference between local and international online sales among the states of the European Union.

Between 2006 and 2008, the percentage of consumers who make online purchases in Europe has increased from 26% to 33%. The proportion of online shoppers who make purchases at foreign shops has gone up from 6% to 7%. However, only 51% of all businesses have an online shop, and of those only 21% make cross-border sales.

The shops that are most willing to sell beyond the borders of their countries are medium and large establishments, although they also tend to create regional companies dedicated to the different markets, so they no longer make international sales directly to the consumer. Small businesses are more reluctant to market and distribute their products internationally.

Article publised by MARKETINGdirecto.com

Until very recently, only young Swedes made purchases online. Now, however, the age range for consumers who shop on the Internet is much broader. One of the key reasons for this situation is that the skepticism and uncertainty associated with shopping on the Web (trust in a virtual business and the fear of providing personal and bank data to make the purchase) have dissipated among the local consumers.

Today, the sector is in full growth. Linda Hedstrom, an analyst at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, believes that the online shopping patters will become more and more global and that the Swedes will shop on the Internet without worrying about where the product comes from, just as many online purchases made from other countries will be done in Swedish electronic shops. This is a door to trade that "opens both ways", and both importers and exporters stand to benefit.

A recent survey taken by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce last autumn revealed that six out of over 10 Swedes who have made a purchase on the Internet had also acquired products from a foreign shop. Hedstrom believes that "the barriers that existed five or ten years ago in Sweden (the security of shopping on the Internet and the laws and rules applied to electronic commerce) are disappearing rapidly, so the growth rate in this sector is expected to be very high".

With 5.5 pairs of shoes per person and year, France is well in the lead in footwear consumption at the European level (the continental average is between 4 and 4.5 pairs). The trend points to greater importance for sales made over the Internet. In France, two companies lead the way in the sale of footwear on the Internet: Sarenza.com and Spartoo.com. In the first, the best-selling articles are comfortable shoes (such as ‘Kickers'), flat boots, trainers and the latest trends (such as very high-heeled shoes). At Superga, however, the most popular are the ‘Converse' style trainers.

Neither of these two firms sells at discount prices, since they are the same as at any other shop. However, both of them are "riding high" in footwear sales. "This is a relatively stable market in France, which depends basically on the demographic evolution of the population", explained a representative of the French Footwear Federation. Performance over the past ten years has been positive, except in 2008, when there was a 1.5% decline.

Sarenza.com and Spartoo.com face major competition, and they also do business in a very small niche market (online shoe sales represent just 5.2% of the market). Even so, the two companies confirm that sales have tripled since they opened, and both have made a profit on their initial investment.

Brazilian electronic commerce grew by 39% last year compared to 2007 to 8.2 billion Reais (€2.758 billion), according to figures from consultancy firm E-bit. Despite strong growth in 2007 when internet commerce grew by 43% compared to 2006, the figures for 2008 still exceeded the previous year.

According to the consultancy firm, at least 13 million people in Brazil have now made at least one purchase via the internet.

The high value of electronic transactions has led to an average of 328.00 Reais ($143.80) per transaction.

In 2008 the most popular products purchased online in Brazil were books, which have been the leading product since 2007. They are followed by healthcare, beauty and medicine products, which were ranked fourth last year, followed by information technology products, which were ranked second in 2007.

Despite the current international financial crisis, E-bit general manager, Pedro Guasti, believes that electronic commerce will continue to grow this year. "I'm convinced that we'll see e-commerce grow in the next few years, although at a slower rate", he said.

The consultancy firm estimates that electronic commerce will be worth 4.5 billion Reais ($1.974 billion) in the first half of this year, an increase of 21.6% compared to the same period in 2007.

Durante la entrega de los IX Premios Cibersur el pasado 11 de diciembre, el Director de operaciones de Red.es, Carlos Cano, pronunció unas palabras sobre el cambio social al que está asistiendo el mundo gracias al uso de la tecnología. En su discurso, Cano declaró que "sería imposible entender este cambio sin la presencia de la tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones y sus servicios asociados", haciendo referencia al Plan Avanza, un plan que se integra en el eje estratégico de impulso al I+D+i (Investigación+Desarrollo+innovación) que ha puesto en marcha el Gobierno a través del Programa Ingenio 2010.

Entre los numerosos datos que proporcionó, basándose en las cifras del Observatorio Nacional de Telecomunicaciones y Sociedad de la Información, el Director de Operaciones de Red.es afirmó que el español "es la tercera comunidad de internautas, con más de 105 millones, tras el inglés y el chino", señalando que "en los últimos cuatro años se ha conseguido multiplicar el número de líneas de banda ancha casi por cuatro y la velocidad media por diez".

A su vez, declaró que nuestro país "es la cuarta comunidad internauta de Europa" y que "la generalización del uso de Internet es ya una realidad y 24 millones de españoles serán internautas al cierre de este año 2008".

Refiriéndose al tema de la banda ancha y poniendo de manifiesto los datos del Observatorio, Carlos Cano explicó que la cobertura en España "alcanza actualmente al 99% de la población y es una de las más elevadas del mundo". "Las líneas de banda ancha han pasado de 2.100.000 en 2003 a 8.700.000 en julio de 2008 y el porcentaje de empresas conectadas a la banda ancha es hoy prácticamente el doble que hace cuatro años", prosiguió, añadiendo que "según el último informe de la Comisión Europea, España es líder absoluta en usuarios de banda ancha móvil, con el 19,5% de la población frente al 6,7% de la media de Europa".

Noticia completa publicada en Sevilla Actualidad

The report, published on 5 March 2009, presents a detailed analysis of current trends in e-commerce across the EU, including per country, most purchased items and obstacles for consumers and business online.

The report presented by the EU Consumer Commissioner indicates that between 2006 and 2008 the proportion of EU consumers buying at least one item over the internet increased from 27% to 33%. These average figures mask the huge popularity of online shopping in countries like the UK, France and Germany, where over 50% of internet users have made online purchases in the last year.

In the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) the proportion of internet users who bought products and services online was 91% in 2008. Countries like Italy and Spain are also fast growing markets.

However, against this pattern of fast growing national markets, the extent of online purchasing cross border remains small, at only 7% in 2008 (compared to 6% in 2006). The report warns that numerous obstacles (linguistic, practical and regulatory, as well as important trust issues) are holding back the development of online shopping in the EU.

Full story published by Euroalert

La Secretaría de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información ha presentado hoy el estudio "Estado de las TIC en la Administración Local". La elaboración de este estudio forma parte de la estrategia adoptada por el Gobierno de España para impulsar el cumplimiento de la Ley de Administración Electrónica, aprobada en 2007, que reconoce a los ciudadanos su derecho a relacionarse electrónicamente con las administraciones públicas, así como la obligación de éstas de garantizar ese derecho.

El Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio, a través del Plan Avanza, está poniendo un empeño especial en el desarrollo de la administración electrónica y en la adopción de las TIC por parte de las Entidades Locales. Para este propósito, el Plan Avanza ha movilizado hasta 2008 más de 400 millones de euros, de los cuales el Ministerio de Industria ha aportado 162,8 millones de euros. En 2009, el Ministerio de Industria tiene previsto destinar 67,5 millones de euros adicionales a este fin.

Estas actuaciones, ejecutadas en colaboración con 435 Entidades Locales, todas las Comunidades y Ciudades Autónomas, el Ministerio de Administraciones Públicas y la Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias (FEMP), incluyen, entre otras, programas de modernización de la administración local, el desarrollo de servicios en línea para las empresas y los ciudadanos, la puesta en marcha de una plataforma de pago electrónico y la organización de jornadas de formación y difusión.

Adicionalmente, la Secretaría de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información ha puesto en marcha otras actuaciones para la modernización de los servicios públicos y la dotación de infraestructuras en el ámbito local que han supuesto una movilización de más de 2.000 millones de euros, destinados al desarrollo de los servicios públicos digitales en las áreas de educación, sanidad y digitalización de servicios de la Administración pública, así como al despliegue de las infraestructuras de banda ancha, TDT y telefonía móvil necesarias para soportar estos servicios.

Las TIC en la Administración Local

El Informe sobre "Las TIC en la Administración Local" ofrece un diagnóstico sobre la situación de la Administración Local respecto a la utilización de las TIC e identifica las principales actuaciones emprendidas por las entidades locales en su avance hacia una Administración Electrónica plena. El universo del estudio lo constituyen los 8.109 ayuntamientos españoles, distribuidos en seis segmentos en función de un índice sintético de población, económico y de presupuestos, y las 51 entidades supramunicipales (Diputaciones, cabildos y consejos insulares).

Los datos del estudio indican que los municipios con más de 15.000 habitantes destinan unos recursos económicos y humanos para la mejora de sus tecnologías superiores al del resto de ayuntamientos. Este presupuesto TIC se dedica en el 30% a hardware y el 33% a software. Otro dato relevante es la externalización de los servicios TIC, en especial para soporte y mantenimiento.

Nivel de infraestructura tecnológica y conectividad

El informe destaca que el acceso a Internet es generalizado en las entidades locales, mientras que la conexión de ordenadores en red varía entre el 87% en los ayuntamientos de más de 30.000 habitantes y el 52% en los ayuntamientos de menos de 300 habitantes. Sin embargo, existe una relativa igualdad entre todos los municipios en cuanto al número de ordenadores por persona, siendo superior a un ordenador por cada dos trabajadores.

En los ayuntamientos con más de 30.000 habitantes y 500 trabajadores existe conexión en red sobre todo con las Comunidades Autónomas y otros organismos de la Administración del Estado. Por el contrario, en los ayuntamientos de menos de 1.000 habitantes predomina la conexión en red con sus entidades supramunicipales (diputaciones, cabildos y consejos insulares).

Sistemas de gestión interna

El Informe sobre "Las TIC en la Administración Local" señala de forma especial que los ayuntamientos con más de 3.500 habitantes son los más intensivos en la utilización de sistemas propios informáticos para la gestión interna.

Por otro lado, más del 60% de dichos ayuntamientos dispone de sistemas propios de gestión tributaria.

Sales made over the Internet in the South Korean market grew by 22% in 2008, according to a report produced by the National Office of Statistics of South Korea.

The report shows that sales and purchases made over the Internet were in excess of US$400 billion (a little more than €313.7 billion) over the past year, a situation largely resulting from the growth in business to business (B2B) transactions.

Mexican institutions have opted to use the Internet responsibly. Today they are setting about the task of the certifying and identifying their sites, giving their customers back-up, confidence and credibility when they purchase products or services on-line. In February this year the Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI) recorded a figure of over 300 sites which have obtained the AMIPCI Seal of Trust certification within only two years of its launch.

The AMIPCI® Seal of Trust is a sign granted by the Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI) and backed by the Economy Secretariat which, by means of an electronic seal with an attached digital certificate, recognises businesses and institutions which are legitimately established and promote data privacy compliance.

List of sites with the AMPICI Seal of Trust

Of the over 300 sites which already have the sign, 36% carry on e-commerce activities, whilst 15% are in the technology sector (software, hardware, web design and hosting and data centres), 9% provide tourism services and 8% belong to the financial sector.

Noemi Flores, AMIPCI Seals of Trust coordinator, pointed out that "companies' interest in having this sign arises from their commitment to combating the lack of confidence expressed by users who purchase services on the Internet, who when they see the Seal manifest their confidence in their decision to purchase".

Ms Flores stated that for an Internet user to identify a site as reliable, he or she must have:

• Real channels of communication with the company which manages the site -- a land line number, e-mail, postal address and on-line advice, for example.
• Privacy policies - they must verify that the company uses the personal data supplied properly and be aware of the security measures it uses and whether the information will be protected or shared. (Those policies are sometimes part of the "terms and conditions" or "legal notice").
• SSL or security padlock -- if on-line transactions are carried out via the site, the user must check that the information being sent is protected by an SSL or security padlock and must verify the https name in the navigation bar.
• Certification or recognition  -- they must check that the site is certified by a recognised institution, which verifies that it is a genuine, legal and legitimately established undertaking (the particulars in the certificate must be the same as those of the company and of the site being visited).

Article published by Invertia

Las transacciones de bienes y servicios a través de Internet movieron un volumen de negocio de 5.183 millones de euros en España durante 2008, un 40% más que en 2007, según los últimos datos del último informe sobre comercio electrónico publicado por la Comisión del Mercado de Telecomunicaciones (CMT).

Entre las principales operaciones realizadas a través de la web destacó la venta de billetes de avión, que generó un total de 707 millones de euros. A pesar de ser la actividad que más ingresos registró, la cifra disminuyó, por primera vez desde 2003, un 26% con respecto a 2007.

El segundo lugar por volumen de ingresos lo ocuparon las compras a las agencias de viajes y operadores turísticos, que facturaron un total de 633 millones de euros, casi un 40% más que en 2007. Otra de las actividades con saldo positivo fue la de transporte terrestre de viajeros, con 309 millones de euros, un 262% más que en 2007. En cuanto al número de transacciones, durante 2008 se contabilizaron 66,2 millones de operaciones, un 41,8% más que en 2007.

En cuanto al cuarto trimestre, el ritmo de crecimiento interanual de comercio electrónico se ralentizó con respecto a trimestres precedentes, con un incremento del 22%, hasta alcanzar los 1.248,7 millones de euros, según los datos de la CMT.

Por sectores, el transporte aéreo subió un 10%, el marketing directo se incrementó un 9,7% y las operaciones con agencias de viaje y operadores turísticos crecieron un 9,2% en el último trimestre del ejercicio 2008.

A pesar del incremento interanual experimentado, el comercio exterior en el cuarto trimestre registró un descenso del 5,9% respecto a los 1.327 millones de euros del tercer trimestre de 2008.

La CMT destacó que por primera vez desde 2002, las compras realizadas a sitios web españoles fueron las que más volumen de ingresos aportaron, representando el 54,7% del total de los ingresos por comercio electrónico, hasta alcanzar los 2.839 millones de euros. En concreto, las compras realizadas desde España a sitios web españoles supusieron 2.059 millones de euros, mientras que las compras realizadas desde el extranjero y con destino a sitios web españoles fueron de 780 millones de euros.

En contrapartida, las compras realizadas desde España a sitios web extranjeros representaron el 45,2% del total de los ingresos, hasta alcanzar los 2.344 millones de euros.

Por áreas geográficas, la mayor parte de las compras que se realizaron desde el extranjero y con destino a sitios web españoles fueron las realizadas desde la Unión Europea, con un 65% de los ingresos registrados, hasta los con 513 millones; seguidas de EE.UU. con un 16% del total, hasta los 126 millones de euros.

Asimismo, los destinos favoritos de los compradores españoles en sitios web extranjeros fueron los países de la Unión Europea, que recibieron un 86% del negocio, con unos 2.034 millones, mientras que las compras en páginas web ubicadas en EE.UU. alcanzaron los 175 millones de euros, un 7% del total.

Publicado en La Vanguardia

El secretario de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información, Francisco Ros, ha presentado hoy las convocatorias de ayudas y los programas del Plan Avanza2 en el año 2009, en un acto en el que también han intervenido el director general para el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Información, David Cierco, y el director general de red.es, Sebastián Muriel.

El Plan Avanza2, integrado en el Plan-E (Plan para el Estímulo de la Economía y el Empleo), pone de manifiesto que el Gobierno sigue apostando por las TIC y por la Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento, como palanca esencial para mejorar la productividad y la competitividad de las empresas, la promoción de la igualdad social y regional y también la mejora del bienestar y la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos, impulsando un modelo de crecimiento económico, social y medioambiental sostenible.

Avanza2 nace en 2009 con la prioridad de reforzar el apoyo a las pymes y micropymes e impulsar un crecimiento sostenible basado en la creación de empleos de alto valor añadido y la incorporación de capital tecnológica a las empresas.

En el contexto actual, con los logros de la primera fase del Plan Avanza, el reto ya no es tanto la dinamización de la oferta, como el fomento de la demanda, así como el aprovechamiento del impulso del desarrollo del sector para la creación de una industria TIC propia especializada en los sectores estratégicos y siempre volcado en la pyme.

Avanza2 cuenta con una dotación presupuestaria de 1.500 millones de euros en 2009. Gracias a la coordinación entre las distintas administraciones públicas y el sector privado, Avanza2 contribuirá a generar en los próximos cuatro años casi 200.000 empleos de alta cualificación.

Ejes de actuación de Avanza2

Desarrollo del sector TIC

Este eje, con un presupuesto de 663 millones de euros en 2009, tiene como objetivo apoyar a empresas que desarrollen nuevos productos, procesos, aplicaciones, contenidos y servicios TIC. Su prioridad es promover la participación industrial española en la construcción de la Internet del Futuro y el desarrollo de contenidos digitales.

Capacitación TIC - ciudadanos y pymes

Este eje de actuación cuenta con un presupuesto de 548 millones de euros en 2009 y su objetivo es seguir incorporando a la Sociedad de la Información tanto a ciudadanos como a empresas, con una prioridad reforzada en las pymes y sus trabajadores y en los colectivos ciudadanos menos integrados (personas con discapacidad y mayores).

Servicios públicos digitales

Con un presupuesto de 186 millones de euros, el objetivo de este eje es mejorar la calidad de los servicios prestados por las Administraciones Públicas en Red, con énfasis especial en el apoyo a las Entidades locales y el desarrollo de las funcionalidades del DNI electrónico, iniciativa pionera a nivel internacional. Asimismo, esta línea apoyará la creación de nuevas plataformas y contenidos en el ámbito educativo y sanitario.

Infraestructuras

Esta línea tiene un presupuesto de 89 millones de euros en 2009 y su objetivo fundamental es la extensión de la Televisión Digital Terrestre (TDT).

Confianza y Seguridad

Con un presupuesto de 11 millones de euros en 2009, el objetivo es identificar oportunidades para la innovación en tecnologías de seguridad que permitan avanzar en la protección de la privacidad en la red, de la infancia, la lucha contra el fraude on-line y la protección de las infraestructuras lógicas.

Internet sales in Sweden reached 20.4 billion kronas (nearly €2 billion) in 2008. This figure represents a 15% increase compared to the previous year, according to data from the Swedish postal service (Posten) and the Commercial Research Institute (HUI). Currently, despite this increase, electronic sales in the Scandinavian country represent 3.9% of all transactions on the local market, although it seems clear that the retail trade sees great potential in the sector.

The fact is that the growth rate in the final quarter of the year was significantly lower than during the rest of the year, which could indicate that the crisis has also been felt. Even so, sales increased by 8.1% compared to the same quarter in 2007. The outlook for 2009, however, is not as good, although no estimates were provided.

Merchants from the United States and Canada have blocked over 70% of the international orders on the Internet from Nigeria and Ghana due to fraud, according to American payment processor CyberSource Corp. According to a 2008 study, nearly 30% of the merchants surveyed who had once accepted international orders no longer accepted online orders from one or more countries due to the high levels of fraud.

"In that group, 76% of the merchants rejected orders from Nigeria, 58% froze trade with Ghana, and 32% with Pakistan", CyberSource indicated.

The survey indicates that, nowadays, in over half (52%) of e-commerce, the merchants accepted foreign orders, which represent over 17% of their total sales. However, the merchants admitted that 4% of the international orders end up being fraudulent, with an international fraud rate that has increased by 67% since 2005.

CyberSource market director Doug Schwegman said that international e-commerce is both a great opportunity and a challenge. "Growth rates outside of the US and Canada continue to be considerably higher than here", said Schwegman.

The CyberSource representative believes that, in difficult economic times, the international expansion of e-commerce is a logical option for many merchants. However, he admits that the different types of fraud require vendors to exercise great caution in processing the orders received from abroad.

"Given the risk of fraud that exists with international orders, it is not surprising that merchants are increasingly rejecting orders from overseas", the survey results revealed.

Nigeria is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to the world corruption perception index.

Article published by afrol News

Purchasing and paying over the World Wide Web, without leaving home, is growing in Paraguay, as demonstrated by the number of transactions carried out over the last few years. According to data from the card processor Bancard, some 17,100 transactions were carried out via the internet in 2007, a figure that rose to 54,516 in 2008, an increase of 219%.

The sector with the highest sales is the airline industry. Gol airline operates exclusively via the internet for national and international clients, says Bancard Marketing Manager, Carlos Ramos.

Another sector that also has significant internet volume is purchases of mobile telephone credit. The same can be said of florists and supermarkets. "I'm not sure how it's going to perform now (the supermarket sector) due to the crisis. People from outside the country use Superseis a lot to buy things over the internet and families that live in the country receive a voucher and the goods", explained Ramos.

Livestock markets manage "enormous" volumes of sales, although electronic payment is not very common.

There are also other sectors that occasionally use the web to make payments, such as tax collection or Teletón (TV fundraising), which received large numbers of donations at the time. Non-governmental organizations, religious institutions and sales of domestic appliances also use the web.

There are currently 54 retailers in the country that are permitted to sell via the internet. This figure was barely 20 in 2007. "The volume has increased, but internet use has not grown as much because there is a low level of internet penetration in the country. Furthermore, Paraguayans are used to looking before buying" said the Bancard manager, adding that a lack of confidence also affects sales.

Article published by ultimahora.com

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade is organizing the International Electronic Commerce Workshop, one of the events planned for the 13th edition of Informática 2009, the international fair and convention that takes place from 9 to 14 February in the Cuban capital under the slogan "Information and Communication Technologies as a source of wealth for the people".

Jackeline Núñez Rodríguez, a Masters of Science and executive director of the workshop, says that the course has several objectives all aimed at exchanging experiences and feedback between institutions that carry out and/or form part of the support and logistics system associated with electronic commerce in Cuba. "Its international character and the fact that it is part of an event as important and globally recognized as this will undoubtedly allow us to meet organizations and specialists from the rest of the world that currently have extensive experience in this area", said the director.

The promotion and support of electronic commerce has become a priority for Cuba and the workshop will be an activity that also contributes to this objective.

"Various entities already use e-Commerce in Cuba" explained Jackeline, "but accelerating this development in the business sector is a specific objective of the lines approved in 2005 to implement electronic commerce on the island, meaning that today there is also significant interest in exchanges, understanding experiences and contributing what each entity has developed on this front and this third International Electronic Commerce Workshop will undoubtedly be an exceptional place for that to happen".

The executive director the workshop concluded by saying, "The most important thing is that there is State interest and support and the National Commission has therefore been created to control and promote the development of e-Commerce in Cuba. We also humbly hope that this event will contribute to speeding up the development of e-Commerce in the business sectors in our country".

Article published by Cubavisión Internacional

The European Parliament has approved a report that proposes various methods for promoting electronic commerce in Europe and for reestablishing consumer confidence. According to a report by the Parliament, one in every three EU citizens makes purchases over the internet, although users still feel nervous about using it since cross-border transactions are still considered to be insecure and there are also problems regarding guarantees of product quality.

The European Parliament is therefore asking the Commission to redouble its efforts to bridge this divide and to publish consumers' rights regarding international commerce on the internet.

It also points to the unfairness of attributing illegal practices such as deception, piracy, fraud and security infringements to the nature of the internet.

Georgios Papastamkos, who presented the report, voiced his opposition to any censorship of online products and services in a statement to the media, since he believes it is a type of concealed trade barrier.

Another area that needs resolving is the doubts about the territorial nature of tax systems in transactions and concerns about regulations that apply to electronic products.

Finally, it also encourages developing countries to invest in internet commerce.

Article published by Silicon News

Despite the global financial crisis, sales on the Internet are going through a positive period on the Danish market. According to official data, payments made with the Danish Dankort debit card reached 18 billion krones (€2.415 billion).

In the fourth quarter of 2008, a record number of transactions were completed on the Internet, with a total of 10,408 transactions between October and December, at an average of 536 Danish krones (about €70) per transaction.

Retailers are making their e-commerce sites more accessible with innovative technology that provides web page navigation without a conventional keyboard or computer mouse.

They have deployed technology from Essential Accessibility that gives people without full motor skills the ability to navigate web pages. The software comes in a variety of applications, providing handicapped computer users multiple ways to control web pages.

A disabled shopper, after arranging to download or receive a CD of free software from the retailer, simply needs to be able to exert pressure on an electronic device, such as with a fingertip press by someone who can't move his hand side to side, or, for a paralyzed quadriplegic, with a head movement.

In one "radar mouse" application, for example, a red line that extends from the center to the outer edge of a web page slowly circles the page like a second hand on a watch. Once the shopper sees that the line is approaching a particular section of a web page-a shirt for sale, for instance-she engages the finger- or head-activated device to stop the moving line; a second press of the device will send an icon up the line toward the shirt; when the icon lands on the desired point of the page, such as the Buy button for the shirt, the shopper activates a third press of the device to make a purchase.

The same application works with an on-screen keyboard that enables the disabled shopper to enter information such as billing and shipping information.

Other applications support better deployments of technology designed to make sites more usable by blind people. SSB Bart Group, for example, provides a web-based accessibility management platform, which shows whether a web site supports the deployment of assistive technologies like screen readers that turn images into audio files for blind people.

Screen readers include JAWS for Windows by Freedom Scientific Inc., Window-Eyes from GW Micro Inc., BrowseAloud by Texthelp Systems Ltd., and Easy Web Browsing from IBM Corp. Microsoft Corp.'s Vista operating system comes with the built-in Narrator screen reader as well as other tools including a text magnifier and an on-screen keyboard.

Article published by InternetRetailer.com

El presidente de la Asociación Española de Comercio Electrónico (AECEM), Martí Manent, aseguró hoy que la empresa española "no se ha tomado suficientemente en serio" durante muchos años el comercio electrónico, pero que esta tendencia está cambiando y hoy "es palpable un interés muy grande" de los empresarios en evolucionar en este sentido. Aunque ahora se encuentra bastante por debajo de la media europea en penetración del e-comerce, Manent confía que España pueda equiparse en este campo al conjunto de Europa en tres o cuatro años.

El presidente de AECEM hizo estas declaraciones a Europa Press con motivo de la jornada 'Curso práctico de comercio electrónico para Pymes', curso itinerante organizado por esta asociación con financiación del Programa Avanza del Ministerio de Industria y Turismo y que recorrerá un total de 10 ciudades españolas.

En Zaragoza cuenta con la colaboración de la Cámara de Comercio de esta provincia y de la Confederación de Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas en Aragón (CEPYME Aragón), en cuya sede se ha desarrollado la jornada.

Un total de 130 pymes se han inscrito a esta jornada. "Un auténtico éxito", a juicio de Manent, quien afirmó que han recibido la petición de repetir esta jornada --algo que sucederá probablemente antes del verano--. Manent subrayó que este "éxito" pone de manifiesto la eclosión del interés de la pyme por el uso de ese canal como herramienta de comercio y marketing.

El catalizador de esta eclosión es, a juicio de Manent, "la crisis económica que lo está acelerando todo". Los clientes se están volcando a internet donde encuentran mayor oferta y mejores precios. También la publicidad está realizando una "migración a la red", ya que es más eficiente porque tienen mayor capacidad para dirigir su mensaje a un público objetivo.

En el año 2007, el volumen del comercio electrónico en España al consumidor final ascendió a los 4.700 millones de euros y en 2008 se calcula que se situará entre los 6.000 y 6.500 millones de euros. "Hay más de nueve millones de compradores en la red" señaló Manent, cifra que, según un estudio de Red.es se incrementaría notablemente si hubiera una mayor oferta.

Noticia completa en Europa Press

Almost four million British people went online to spend a total of ₤102 million (around €112 million) on Christmas Day, up by 21% on the same day last year, according to a report published by Internet retail sector body IMRG.

However, the number of people who made these purchases - 3.8 million - was 14% lower than in 2007, showing that online stores are not immune to the economic crisis.

The volume of transactions was larger, however, up by 26%, "showing that this was all about serious bargain-hunting", according to IMRG CEO James Roper, quoted in a press release.

Some of the stores that were open for business on Christmas Day were Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Debenhams.

Other data from online research experts eDigitalResearch showed that British shoppers were leaving their gift buying until the last minute, and visited various web pages in order to find the lowest prices, right up until Christmas Day, which led to an increase in Internet traffic on December 22, 23 and 25 in comparison with the same days in 2007.

This traffic grew by almost 100% between Christmas Day and Boxing Day, a holiday celebrated on December 26 in the United Kingdom and some other countries that belonged to the British Empire, and which was the busiest day of the year for online stores, when buyers were trying to find the best bargains in the sales without having to go out in the cold and stand in line.

La ministra de Administraciones Públicas, Elena Salgado, ha presentado en el último consejo de ministros celebrado el viernes 9 de enero, con datos de actividad relativos al segundo de 2008 sobre la ejecución del plan de actuación de la Ley de Acceso Electrónico de los Ciudadanos a los Servicios Públicos (Laecsp), que obliga a las administraciones a adaptar todos sus servicios a Internet a partir del 1 de enero de 2009. Según el informe, se han duplicado el número de servicios accesibles a través de la web 060 y el grado ejecución de las iniciativas públicas incluidas en el plan.

El plan de actuación, aprobado por el Consejo de Ministros el 28 de diciembre de 2007, desarrolla en 21 medidas cuatro líneas para el cumplimiento de la ley: creación de servicios centrados en el ciudadano, adecuación de todos los procedimientos a esta ley y desarrollo de infraestructuras y servicios comunes, formación de los funcionarios e interoperabilidad de las soluciones desarrolladas.

El Ministerio de Administraciones Públicas señala en un comunicado que el 31 de diciembre de 2008 había 450 procedimientos que pueden tramitarse por vía electrónica, frente a los 261 que se contabilizaron en junio pasado y hay otros 1.232 procedimientos que cuentan con algún grado de adaptación. De los 181 considerados de alto impacto por ser los más utilizados por los ciudadanos, 122 se ya están totalemtente adaptados y los 59 restantes tienen distintos grados de adaptación.

Red 060
Salgado afirma que en el el sedungo semestre del año se ha duplicado el número de servicios accesibles a través de la web 060 "y ya son más de 1.100 los servicios on line que se ofrecen", frente a los 576 que había en junio. De este total, 625 corresponden a la Administración General del Estado. La web ha pasado de tener 216.391 visitantes únicos en junio a 392.632 en noviembre. El número de llamadas telefónicas atendidas en el teléfono 060 es de una media de 160.000 mensuales.

Red SARA
La red SARA, infraestructura tecnológica de comunicaciones entre las administraciones, y que conecta a los Ministerios, Comunidades Autónomas y entidades locales, cuenta con 1.086 entidades locales conectadas, más del doble de las que había en junio. "La capacidad de esta red ha ido creciendo hasta alcanzar 1 Gbps para la conexión entre los ministerios y 100 Mbps en el caso de las CC.AA., y se ampliará hasta un máximo de 10 Gbps a lo largo de 2009", informa el MAP.

Certificaciones digitales
Igualmente se ha intensificado la utilización de la plataforma @firma, con unos cinco millones de validaciones en el segundo semestre de 2008. Por su parte, la plataforma de validación de datos de identidad y residencia, que permite a las administraciones consultar esta información para evitar pedir a los ciudadanos el DNI o el certificado de empadronamiento, ha superado la cifra de 500.000 validaciones mensuales. Además, se ha iniciado el proceso para intermediar todo tipo de certificados entre administraciones.

Junto al plan de desarrollo de la ley, se emprendieron programas programas formativos. Durante el último semestre de 2008 "se ha lanzado un programa de difusión y enseñanza del uso de los servicios de la administración electrónica a través de la web 060 y la red de telecentros de Red.es y se ha formado a un total de 130 dinamizadores que, junto a los agentes de Red.es, han ofrecido talleres a casi 4.000 personas", informa el MAP, que añade, finalmente, que en el el marco del proyecto STORK de la UE, España ha liderado los trabajos para definir las especificidades comunes para la validación de certificados digitales en el ámbito europeo.

Noticia publicada por La Vanguardia

As "Canada B2C e-commerce" eMarketer reports shows, in 2007, Canadian retailers sold C$13.8 billion ($12.9 billion) of consumer products and travel bookings online. By 2012 Canadian business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales will reach C$22.8 billion ($22.2 billion). Not bad numbers in a tough economy.

The Canada B2C E-Commerce report analyzes the reasons why Canada's online economy is positioned to weather the economic storm.

Between 2007 and 2012, Canadian B2C e-commerce sales will show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.6%. Strong numbers. But there are local problems.

Compared with other G-7 countries, until consumers in Canada show a larger appetite for buying big-ticket physical goods online, such as home furnishings and consumer electronics, the e-commerce market will remain relatively small.

However, the future looks brighter. As millennials-who participate in a broader array of online activities than previous generations-enter their income-earning years they will provide a lift in online sales.

Excerpt from "Canada B2C eCommerce. A work in progress" eMarketer report

The report from the German Retailers' Association (Hauptverband des Deutschen Einzelhandels e.V.) notes that e-commerce sales for the Christmas period are expected to exceed €5.0 billion.

The figures for the full year total €20.0 billion and according to the Association, the effects of the financial crisis have yet to be noticed in online commerce, which in general will grow by around 3.5% this year, although this figure is higher for certain sectors such as CDs and DVDs, books, electronics, clothing and tickets for shows.

Sales are expected to reach €22.0 billion in 2009.

Internet commerce is booming in the pre-Christmas period in the UK and has reached record levels as a percentage of total consumer spending. Meanwhile, sales by the large retailers have fallen to a record low according to the Office for National Statistics.

The value of goods purchased via the internet grew to a weekly average of ₤220 million (around €233 million) last month, equivalent to 3.8% of total sales, compared to 2.8% in June.

Nevertheless, researchers from the Office for National Statistics point out that internet sales are highly seasonal and that their market share will fall after the Christmas period.

The Office also indicates that internet sales grew faster than expected in November due to the popularity of video consoles.

Sales by the large British retailers fell to their lowest levels since records began in 1986, although sales by volume in the sector increased by 0.3% in November, representing the first increase in three months. Food sales rose by 0.2% while footwear and clothing fell by 0.1%. Overall, sales by the large retailers recorded a total decline of 1.5%.

Article published by The Guardian

As Xerfi "e-Commerce et vente á distance. Perspectives de marché en 2009/2010" report predicts that, remote sales to individuals will increase by 10% in 2009 in spite of the global slow down in consumer spending. e-Commerce transactions will be the principal influencer of this figure, due to its expected 25% growth (in value) next year.

Some of the reasons for this trend are the growing rate of Internet access (fixed line and mobile) and the increase in consumer online confidence. Moreover, the availability and diverse range of products being offered online from over 40,000 commercial sites is expected to drive demand.

Also, the advantages of remote sells (availability, simplicity and low prices) are going to be the decisive factors in 2009.

Article based on Xerfi « E-commerce et vente à distance. Perspectives de marché en 2009/2010 -Forces en présence et stratégie de croissance» report

Según un estudio realizado por la empresa Xerfi, el comercio online seguirá creciendo el próximo año a pesar de la crisis que afecta, entre otros sectores, al comercio tradicional. Se espera que en 2008 el crecimiento sea de un doce por ciento y que en 2009 sólo de un diez por ciento.

Vincent Deruelles, autor del estudio publicado en silicon.fr, ha declarado que "en 2009 la sensibilidad sobre los precios va a a crecer y hacerse un factor decisivo a la hora de decidir las compras".

Se espera que el próximo año el 80 por ciento del total de las compras a distancia se produzcan en Internet, lo que supone un descenso de la venta telefónica y por correspondencia.

Noticia publicada por Silicon News

A study by Deloitte forecasts that British consumers will spend ₤4.7 billion (around €5.66 billion) on online purchases, meaning a 10% increase in Internet purchases compared with 2007 figures.

The report reveals that those consumers making the majority of their purchases online will spend an average of ₤773 (€930) on Christmas gifts, compared with expenditure of ₤665 (€788) for the public at large.

This reflects the strength of electronic commerce, at least in the United Kingdom, even at a time when the economy seems to be on the point of collapse. Meanwhile, the rise in online sales also serves to pressurize small companies to take to the Internet.

However, the Deloitte study also points out that online sales represent only a small proportion of small companies' income, with 56 per cent of those reporting online sales saying they accounted for less than 10 per cent of their total income, according to Reuters.

Article published by Silicon News

Un nueve por ciento de españoles realizará sus compras navideñas a través de Internet, según un estudio realizado por Deloitte y publicado por Europa Press. Además, un 63 por ciento de las personas prevé utilizar la Red para comparar precios y productos.

Aunque los últimos estudios muestran una incremento del uso de Internet para la realización de las compras (en el segundo trimestre, la facturación de comercio online aumentó un 68 por ciento), las cifras en España aún no son muy altas. En Europa, se prevé que un 17 por ciento de personas adquiera sus compras navideñas en la Red.

Por otro lado, aunque el uso de Internet ha aumentado en todas las franjas de edad, son las personas de entre 35 y 44 años las que más usan la Red para realizar sus compras y los mayores de 55 los que menos. Los productos que más se adquirirán serán libros, música y ropa.

Noticia publicada por Silicon News

Electronic commerce in Switzerland still has a long way to go. While business over the internet already accounts for 10% in Germany and 16% in the UK, this figure is less than 2% in Switzerland. Little by little, publicity in Switzerland is beginning to emphasize internet purchasing and sales.

Considering that 53% of Swiss people have broadband access at home and that Switzerland is one of the world's largest consumers of the internet, it seems strange that electronic commerce is so underdeveloped. Nevertheless, companies are beginning to discover ways of generating business through the World Wide Web by collaborating with publicity agencies, due to the huge potential of this market. Once this situation has been resolved, the floodgates to online commerce will be open.

An interesting study carried out by the Observador Cetelem in 2008 into e-consumer habits and trends a revealed a relatively high percentage of e-consumers within the overall population in Europe, standing at 28%. An online purchaser is considered to be someone who has made at least one purchase via the Internet.

On average, European consumers prefer web pages that have a recognized physical outlet over pure players, which only operate online. The difference is not very significant, however, and will decline over time. In principle, e-consumers prefer to buy products from pages that have a physical establishment, and the prime reason for this is trust.

However, this situation is likely to change with the forward march of pure players, which are increasingly present in more sectors (especially travel and computer-related), and which offer lower prices.

An excerpt from N-Economía report

Sales of food products on Ebay are becoming increasingly frequent in Germany. One example of this trend is ham, with sales of this product growing year-by-year during the months leading up to Christmas.

In 2007, hams worth a total of €1.8 million were sold on Ebay, which accounted for more than 111,000 individual sales transactions. The sales volume picked up pace during the second half of the year, particularly in November and December, when around 36,000 transactions involving hams took place on Ebay.

Spanish products take four of the top spots within the league table of the hams most sold on Ebay in Germany,