Retail sales via the Internet will soon reach $120 billion and account for 5% of total retail activity. Leading the growth through next year will be a near doubling in online sales of health and beauty products. That will be followed closely by sales of apparel, gifts and flowers, jewelry, sporting goods and equipment, home and garden products and food and beverages.

Yet even with such great projections, businesses can't expect to cash in on this upward trend with just any old Web site. If Web retailers are to be successful, they will have to operate sites that enable easy shopping and offer merchandise that stands out from an increasingly crowded field. If a site doesn't offer the convenience of easy browsing and no-hassle purchasing, disgruntled online shoppers will click to the nearest exit as quickly as they came.