(New York; April 17, 2002; BusinessWire) In The North America eCommerce: B2C and B2B Report, released today, eMarketer predicts that more than one-half of the 123.4 million US internet users--age 14 and older--will purchase goods and services online over the course of the year.

In 2001, B2C sales totaled $49.8 billion. eMarketer projects that online sales will grow to $75 billion in 2002 and reach $155.6 billion by 2005.

``This steady growth rate we are seeing in B2C sales is the result of several factors,'' says Nevin Cohen, PhD, Senior Analyst at eMarketer. ``As the online population grows, it becomes more diverse. In addition, long-term internet users feel more comfortable shopping online, and do so from more locations. In the next few years, there will be even more convenient ways to shop, ranging from mobile options to television-based internet devices.''

As the economy continues to recover, the online B2C market is leading the way. Online sales in the fourth quarter of 2001 increased 34.4% over the previous quarter. By comparison, all retail sales (both online and offline) grew by a significantly smaller margin in the quarter, only 9.5%.

``You have to credit the online survivors for some of the success of the B2C market,'' says Cohen. ``E-retailers that weathered the dot-com fallout now provide more detailed product information, advanced search and comparison functions, wider shipping options and better customer assistance than they did in 2000.''

The North America eCommerce: B2C and B2B Report (225 pages with 252 charts) aggregates statistics and information from leading research sources in the US and Canada. It provides an overview of the total e-commerce picture in North America, from web shopping behavior to B2B e-commerce activity.

About eMarketer www.emarketer.com

New York-based eMarketer is a publisher of internet and e-business information for marketing professionals. eMarketer aggregates, filters, organizes and analyzes data from over 1,000 research firms, consultancies, government agencies and other sources. The company offers the most comprehensive database of e-business statistics as well as a variety of reports featuring original analysis prepared by eMarketer's team.

To request a free copy of the North America eCommerce: B2C and B2B Executive Summary, contact pr@emarketer.com .