CNN, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and virtually every major business publication in the world has reported on it. Internet usage among U.S. adults has skyrocketed from 9% in 1995 to 77% in 2006, according to a new poll from Harris Interactive. This growth in Internet usage is driving online retail sales to exceed $229 billion by 2010.

Online retailing is the fastest-growing segment of the overall U.S. retail industry and will continue to expand. Consumers are now very comfortable with making purchases online and, as a result, are shopping more frequently and buying bigger ticket items. Web retailers are feeling particularly upbeat about their financial performance for 2006. A recent Internet Retailer Web-based survey on Web site profitability reveals that 40% of 216 merchants who responded expect their sales to grow by more than 30% this year, with 33.5% also expecting to grow their annual net income by more than 25%.

E-commerce growth isn't limited to the US. Canadian e-commerce is growing substantially. According to Statistics Canada, total e-commerce sales were CAD39.2 billion ($32.4 billion) in 2005, up 38.4% from 2004. The figures include both private and public sector sales over the Internet. The percentage of Canadian retailers that have a web site grew to 42% in 2005 from 38% in 2004.

European e-commerce soars to €263 billion

Europeans are a also spending more money online, with research suggesting the total spent online during 2006 is likely to hit €100 billion. The number of Europeans shopping online will grow from 100 million to 174 million by 2011, which will cause European eCommerce to surge to €263 billion in 2011

SMBs capitalize on the Internet's explosive growth

Steady growth of Internet use among consumers is fueling the need for professional Internet services among small and medium businesses (SMBs). Professional Internet services enable SMBs and mid-market enterprises to capitalize on online marketing, advertising and e-commerce sales tool benefits, resulting in greater return on investment for their marketing strategies and increased leads and revenue.

Yet most SMBs lack the time, technical expertise and Internet marketing skills to establish and maintain a professional Web presence on their own. The SMB sector represents a $154 billion market opportunity for professional Internet services in 2007, a 17 percent increase over 2006, according to AMI-Partners. Yankee Group finds that within the United States:

By partnering with AIS Media and becoming a certified eBSP®, you're fully positioned to capitalize on this growth. You can be the one businesses turn to for the full-range of professional Internet services these businesses need and enjoy the potential for substantial profits and lucrative recurring revenue -- while AIS Media handles all of the complex technical aspects on your behalf.

Training & Support