mediachannels; That's Entertainment

American Demographics, Nov, 2000

Web retailers will be able to solve these problems with other online applications that aren't necessarily high content streaming media. A recent survey by Jupiter found that 51 percent of online shoppers would use zoom-in and rotate options to see products better. Fifty-six percent would use online models to try on clothes. Some sites use these tools, such as Nine West, which reduced returns by half after adding zoom, and Lands' End, where users create virtual selves.

However the vast majority of e-commerce sites are the very opposite of Boo.com: all pictures and text. Less than one-fifth of online retailers were using well-accepted Internet technologies such as Java, Flash, and other state-of-the-art or streaming media tools, according to Jupiter. "There has been reluctance for e-commerce players to use advance technology," Loizides says. "The focus has been on the shopping cart and getting people there as quick as possible."

But don't expect many of these e-commerce players to sit on the sidelines for too long - or their time-strapped customers may soon pass them by. "People like to see it, hear it, and read it in that order," says Yahoo!'s Woodward. "If you can see it, that's the best. If you hear about it, it's not as good, but it's good. If you read about it - I don't have time to read."