Electronic commerce is a merchant's dream: no costly stores, no payroll for salespeople, slim inventory costs. In four years almost 90,000 on-line merchants have opened shop. Build a Web site and they will come. Traditional retailers embrace the dream, too—about 40% are on the World Wide Web and most others plan to join them, according to an Ernst & Young survey. Online sales totaled $8 billion last year and could grow tenfold in four years.
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