Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Email Alert

Internet Daily 
for Thursday, November 15, 2001
by Frank Barnako CBS MarketWatch.com


Eshoppers break out their mice

Online holiday shoppers have begun cruising the Web in earnest, 
but whether they're spending more than last year remains to be 
seen. Nielsen/NetRatings  says the volume of visitors to 
shopping sites the past week has increased vs the same period a 
year ago. "This year's online holiday shopping season kicked off 
stronger than last year by increasing 14%, compared to 10% a 
year ago," said Sean Kaldor, vice president for analytical 
services.

Visits to Web sites in the toys and games category showed an 
overall 65.7% rise in the week ending Nov. 11, compared to the 
previous week. Toysrus.com  and Lego.com were the largest 
gainers. Home and garden sites had a 40.5% traffic rise and 
18.9% more people visited computer hardware sites.

Total domestic sales online topped $1 billion last week, 
according to another Web analysis firm, ComScore Networks. The 
volume was the highest since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The 
increase was driven by a rebound in travel services and other 
non-travel categories, such as apparel, indicating early 
momentum in the holiday shopping season, the company said.

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Web users resist paying fees

Web sites counting on generating subscription revenue face big 
challenges finding customers. The Pew Internet & American Life 
Project surveyed several thousand Web users and found that while 
17% of them said they have been asked to pay for access to a Web 
site for content, only 12% of them did so. Half said they found 
a free alternative, according to Lee Rainie, the Project's 
director. The research also found the Internet has had an impact 
on millions of Americans' lives. Twelve percent say they or 
family members have lost money investing in Internet companies, 
and 14% know someone laid off by an Internet company or firm 
that supplies services to Web companies.

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Credit card fraud top merchant worry

More than half the online merchants questioned in a recent 
survey say online credit card fraud is their primary concern as 
they go into the holiday season. Almost two-thirds of them are 
taking more precautions this year than last, including more 
manual checking of submitted information, according to 
Cybersource, which provides transaction services for retailers. 
Emerchants are optimistic: 54% expect their sales volume to grow 
an average of 37% this year from last.

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eBay uncorks wine sales

EBay  is offering wine for sale. Chief Executive Meg Whitman 
made the announcement during a speech at the Comdex Computer 
show in Las Vegas. "We think it's a big market, we think it's a 
fun market," she said, according to CNET. The company's Web site 
includes wines, wine racks and even a complete winemaking 
facility, with set up and training. She said eBay will list 
items only from sellers licensed to distribute wine, and will 
not make sales in states where such shipments are illegal.

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