All estimates indicate that the Internet boom will continue in the coming years and that brick and mortar retailers in particular can profit from this boom. Ten years ago, scholars and practitioners assumed only certain types of products, such as books or software, would sell well. The development of online retail has taught us something very different, however: Every product category can be sold online, and the more unwieldy the products and the more consultation support they require, the more suc cessful they are on the Web. The need for current information about online retail is quite high. Yet the number of actual resources providing information about these new Web developments is limited, and many sources are out of date, given the dynamic nature of the Internet. The German edition of this work resonated equally well with both scholars and practi tioners. In the following English edition, the basic figures used have been updated and international best practice cases were added. Furthermore, in the second chapter, special consideration was given to the aspects of innovation and transformation. In conclusion, we would like to point out that it was of critical concern for us to pro vide a bridge between theory and practice with this book, and to make it available to an international readership. If we have failed to satisfy this requirement, we ask for leniency but also for your feedback. Mönchengladbach Gerrit Heinemann Düsseldorf Christoph Schwarzl VII Table of Contents Foreword.............................................................................................................................VII Abbreviations.....................................................................................................................XV
