Bronto Blog

As reported earlier this week in the New York Times, online clothing sales passed the online sales of computer hardware/software in 2006. Think about this - buying an external hard drive online isn’t hard. You research the specs, read the reviews, then find the best price (and hopefully free shipping). You know what you’re going to get.

Imagine how difficult it can be to buy a pair of jeans in the store when you have the product in your hands, or better yet, on you, feeling how it fits. Now imagine purchasing this same item having read a description, viewed a picture, and perhaps read a review. This is a leap of faith. And there were 18.3 billion dollars spent on exactly that leap of faith in 2006, which is $1.1 billion more than was spent computer hardware and software.

E-commerce isn’t new, or revolutionary. The fact that people buy clothes online isn’t going to surprise anyone. But more than computer related goods? I’m impressed.