DALLAS, Dec 29, 2004/ FW/ --- It was bound to happen as the internet matured and Americans became more familiar with the online world. E-commerce or internet retailing has become a very important segment of the U.S. retail industry.

In a report last Monday, industry tracker comScore Networks, said “online sales for the past 7 weeks ending Dec. 19 surged 28% from the same period last year, to $13.5 billion.”

That far outpaced the single-digit growth for brick-and-mortar sales tracked by the National Retail Federation, which expects total holiday sales to top $15.5 billion.

And what are consumers buying? According to Amazon.com, one of the movers and shakers of online retailing, “sales of electronics are leading, outpacing book sales for the first time.”

Among the most popular items were Apple Computer's iPod media player and digital cameras. Amazon also said it set a sales record during the holiday shopping season when it sold 2.8 million units in a single day.

And how does it translate to fashion items? Until retail stores for both their online and traditional sales publish their financial statements, we will not be able to give you statistics.

Yet, with or without it, the preliminary details of the holiday shopping season is a good indicator that online sales of fashion items are also on the upswing.

The convenience of online shopping is undeniable. E-commerce sites are open 24 X 7, and with “guaranteed shipping” and “timely arrival,” it is hard for consumers to resist it.

But there is one thing that online shopping does not give, specially when it comes to buying garments – instant gratification!

Going to a traditional brick-and-mortar store, one can “bring home their purchase” and wear it immediately. Shopping online means waiting for it for a few days.

Then there is the “fitting” and actually “feeling the fabric of the garment.” But with technology, “fitting is no longer an issue.” There are websites that offer “online fitting,” wherein a customer puts in their measurements, the data is processed and a photo that rotates 360 degrees can show how the garment will look like when worn.

Retail stores have finally recognized that they should harness the power of the web and use it as another outlet, same way that catalogs have been doing for the past hundred years.

And with double-digit growth for online sales, ignoring its benefits will be detrimental to any type of retail business, whether it’s a retail store or a supplier of goods and services to the retail sector.