E-COMMERCE IN DIGITS

In the last year Internet companies have been accepting huge losses in the belief that, by the law of averages, these losses will be superseded by handsome profits when ecommerce really takes off.

The holiday season of 1999 has been forecast by many as the most important period in the history of the Internet for online retailing. This holiday season was sink or swim time for dotcoms.

Holiday season yielded in and around USD7.5 billion.

The Boston Consulting Group found that revenues for online retailers over the holiday season were four times higher than those of last year and the number of total orders placed grew by 270 percent.

The Traffic

Unsurprisingly, Amazon.com was the most trafficked site over the season. Almost 5.7 million unique visitors went to Amazon's site, while 4 million visited eBay. Toy stores eToys.com and Toysrus were third and fifth most popular, with 1.7 million and 1.5 million unique visitors respectively. Barnesandnoble.com came in fourth with over 1.5 million visitors. Buy.com, CDnow.com, Egreetings.com, Expedia and Travelocity.com completed the top 10 most popular sites listing.

Traffic is not necessarily the only indicator of success, however and many of the purchases made at Amazon and eBay spent less than the amount spent by the average consumer.

Users spent an average of USD55 on each purchase item, according to Visa.

Developing World in E-commerce

While ecommerce will continue to boom in the next decade, Africa, South America and parts of Asia will be largely left out of the trade revolution. According to Computer Economics, only 6 percent of ecommerce will be transacted in these regions this year and this figure will only rise by 1 percent by 2003.

The slow growth potential for ecommerce in the developing world is attributed to high access costs and a lack of infrastructure. Analysts say that it will take at least a decade before ecommerce becomes a truly global phenomenon. The total ecommerce market should grow from USD2.9 trillion this year to USD9.5 trillion by 2003.
  

The 'Ecommerce Enters Europe' study found that only 18 percent of European homes have Internet access and less than 10 percent had bought goods or services online. Two thirds of Europeans said they preferred to see and touch goods in stores before buying and many expressed privacy and security concerns. Ecommerce was most popular in Sweden where 7 percent of households had ordered goods. At the other end of the scale, only 7 percent of French households were connected to the Internet and only 2 percent had bought online. 
  

United States of America

Nearly three-quarters of US Internet users say the Internet has improved their lives but around half of users continue to have serious privacy and security fears. Almost half of Internet users have purchased online but only 22 percent say they feel completely or very confident that their credit card information is safe and 32 percent say they are somewhat confident. Of the Internet users polled, 95 percent said they go online to find information while 89 percent send and receive email. A good 45 percent of users say they shop online and 21 percent go to chatrooms. (Info By Gallup http://www.gallup.com)
 
More than half of Japanese Internet users made a purchase online in the last year, according to the results of a new survey from InfoComResearch. Thirty percent of those who had bought goods or services online had spend at least JPY50,000 (USD450) and 40 percent had made four or more purchases. InfoCom Research analysts noted that there were clear increases in spending in non-technological categories, such as clothing and travel services. (http://www.icr.co.jp/) 
 
British Internet users are expected to spend over GBP10 billion (USD15.9 billion) this year, up from GBP3.2 billion (USD5.1 billion) in 1999, according to NOP Research. The online grocery market, in particular, is expected to expand rapidly this year. Over 200,000 British users are already doing some grocery shopping online. Buying books online continues to be the most popular ecommerce option for Internet users in Britain. Almost 50 percent of all British users have bought books online and 31 percent have bought CDs or other music products. (http://www.nop.co.uk)
 

BEST GEORGIAN INTERNET PAGE

Themes:
Competition theme is complimentary, limited are only competition categories.

Contest Categories:
There will be three major categories and one additional category
1. Non-Commercial Organizations web sites - scientific, nongovernmental, governmental, educational or other state organization's
web-sites, which represent organizations activities; is useful for employees of the organization.
2. Commercial organizations web sites - The site that explain organizations work and advertises their function.
3. Informational resources and services web sites, which represent non-commercial or commercial information to internet users.

Additional Category:
Individual (Personal) Web pages. Jury will consider how interesting and useful is the web page for public.

Prizes:
In each category will be three different prizes:
Prizes in major category:
First Prize $700
Second Prize $450
Third Prize $300
Individual Web-sites Prizes:
First Prize $500
Second Prize $300
Third Prize $200
 

There also will be special prizes:

     Best use of technology and design
     Very interesting creation, beginning
 

There will be online public opinion poll. For this page additional prize will be given.

Contest Schedule and Deadlines:
Deadline for registration of sites/pages: 29 May, 2000
Announcement and reword ceremony: 16 May, 2000

Essential requirements:

     information should be presented in Georgian
     new Georgian State Standard of coding of Georgian characters or/and Unicode standards should be used for representing
     Georgian letters
     each site can only participate in one category
 

Additional Information:
Georgian Standard Fonts will be given at Internet Center "Wide Open World" or could be downloaded from OSGF site
Group consultings will be at Open Society Georgia Foundation Main office.
 

For additional information, please, visit website:
www.osgf.ge/webcontest
or contact us at:
Chavchavadze Av. 27,
Tel: 250590 Fax: 250591
E-mail:webcontest@osgf.ge

New and Georgian

Last month brought new websites and services for Georgian internet users, who oten use same kind of Internet services available on US and European servers.

Sure you know what Hotmail or Yahoo mail  does for users, but maybe you haven’t heared that web-based e-mail service is now available even in Georgian. For the first time it appeared on Georgian Technical University server (http://mail.gtu.edu.ge), now the improved version of web-based Gerogian e-mail server is available at http://mail.com.ge. In addition with using only e-mail box, you can from the same site send electronic greeting cards, do some search oon GTU FTP-server, etc.

 Who is it?

If you have already tried to develop and store you website on the Internet, you would be interested how many people have visited your site, thus could find free counter on the Internet and register your URL. If it’s not enough for you to know how many people goes on your site, you could find free webtrackers, which deliver you with almost all the information you may know about your visitors. In March Georgian webtracker was offered by MultiMedia Center. If you go  the website at http://vinaris.com.ge, register and store the tracker on your page, it will give answers on your question “Who is it?”.

Brainbench

Take a FREE Brainbench certification exam ONLINE and find out how good your IT skills really are.

Everyday, thousands of technical professionals take a FREE Brainbench certification exam online to rate their skills. They use the test results to get a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses or to earn a certification that helps them get a better job. It only takes a moment to register online for an exam. You will then immediately receive your FREE test access code, which will allow you to take the multiple-choice exam anytime within the next 30 days. Register NOW at :

http://destinationsite.com/c?c=68548.35728.0.12930.0

If you pass the exam, Brainbench will certify your skill and mail you certificate FREE! Plus you can make your certification available online if you choose. Brainbench certifications are recognized by major employers and staffing organizations throughout the world.

How does it work?

1) Register for an exam at
http://destinationsite.com/c?c=68548.35728.0.12930.2
There are about 60 exams to choose from. You will receive instructions on how to complete the exam when you register.
2) You can take exam ANYTIME from ANYPLACE using a common web browser. (version 3.0 or later preferred).
3) As soon as you finish the exam, you can view your test results including your skill rating.

What does it mean to be certified?

1) It means you join the ranks of those professionals who can prove that they have the credentials to do a job. Employers will be more likely to put their trust in you.
2) You can pursue, with confidence, the jobs you want.
3) Whether you pass or not, every time you take the test
you will receive a private report on your strengths and weaknesses as well your personal ranking in the industry.

E-University will be established

Universities Told to Catch the E-Wave

The increasing role of technology in today's educational environment recently prompted the United Kingdom to form a group consisting of members from the island's four higher education funding bodies--the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the Higher Education Funding Council for Scotland, and the Department of Education Northern Ireland--to discuss proposals to create an e-university able to offer online courses of study leading to an entirely Internet-based degree. Although details of the institution have yet to be worked out, it is expected that the e-university will offer courses through several separate UK universities managed by a central body, a system that would eliminate the need to create an entirely new, self-contained establishment. The e-university will most likely attract overseas students and working adults seeking professional advancement, though  some group members hope UK students unable to attend universities because of working hours will also attend. Hefce plans to ask the government for the estimated 50 million pounds necessary to start the online institution, which will subsequently be funded entirely by tuition costs.

New Organizations

European Internet Foundation

An independent, non partisan European Internet Foundation has been established this month by European parliamentarians. The European Internet Foundation is comprised of more than 50 Members of the European Parliament and a large group of associate members, including some of Europe's biggest technology and Internet companies. The new organisation will focus on developing 'electronic democracy' and conquering the digital divide within Europe and around the world. EIF members hope to make the Internet accessibly and affordable for all Europeans. Ensuring Internet access in schools will be a priority. Ecommerce will also be a priority. The foundation wants to clear existing barriers to international ecommerce and plans to draw up plans for an adapted tax system for the new economy. The Foundation will also work on privacy and security issues.
http://www.eifonline.org/PressReleases/210200.htm
 

New Attempt to Close Global Digital Divide

A new joint venture between the World Bank and a Japanese investment group aims to narrow the global digital divide by investing in Internet startups in developing countries. Newsbytes Asia reports that SoftBank Corp of Japan and the International Finance Corporation, which is the World Bank's private sector investment arm, have established Softbank Emerging Markets. The new company will initially have USD200 million to invest in developing Internet markets around the world. The company will provide seed capital for innovative local firms and offer them technological, legal and managerial support. The firm is particularly interested in investing in locally adapted versions of proven online business models. World Bank President, James D. Wolfensohn, commented that "this investment will accelerate the inclusion of the developing countries in the information  revolution".
http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/143790.html


 

PC Market will Continue to Boom

The global PC market will continue to grow right through to 2005, when over 200 million PCs will be sold worldwide. According to eTForecasts, the growth in the mobile devices market will not affect the market for PCs.

The market for PC servers will also be strong, with sales increasing from 3.7 million units last year to 11.5 million units in 2005. Sales of notebook and handheld PCs will double to 59 million over the next
five years.

About 125 million PCs will be sold around the world this year, with 45 million being sold in North America alone. Europeans will buy 38 million, but only 5 million of those will be sold in Eastern Europe.

PC sales for the Asia Pacific region will amount to almost 30 million, while 6.3 million will be sold in Latin America and 4 million will be sold in the Middle East.
http://www.etforecasts.com/pr/pr200.htm
 
Harris analysts say that people are now buying a PC with the intention of going online whereas many PC owners in past years had no intention of getting Internet access. They predict that going online will be as common as making a telephone call in five years time.
http://www.harrisinteractive.com

UMCOR Vacancy

Tbilisi Youth House Teacher of English Language

UMCOR is currently seeking a candidate for the position of Project Teacher. The project goal of the Youth House is to foster psychosocial rehabilitation and stabilization for approximately 400-650 adolescent children aged 10-16 through improved access to extra-curricular, academic activities and psychosocial rehabilitation of post-war trauma.

Job Description:
The Youth House Project Teacher will report directly to the Youth House Project Assistant  and through him/her to the Youth House Project Manager.

Full time Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Required Qualifications: Interested applicants should apply on/or before 31 March 2000. All applicants should submit a current CV, cover letter and 1 (one) letter of professional reference to:

Youth House Project Manager
UMCOR/ TbilisiYouth House
15 Poti str.,Tbilisi 380054 Georgia
Tel.: 35 14 46, 94 12 88



At the Visto site you can store and manage files, maintain email, update addresses and calendars, and synchronize those with your portable or desktop computer. The "email" maintenance means that you can use this one site to focus multiple POP3 accounts in one place. (POP3 is the standard kind of email account that comes with Internet service, not web mail like HotMail). Some look at this as a backup facility. Some simply live with it, counting on web access being more widely available, reliable and portable than a computer or pocket organizer.
http://www.visto.com

“Eurasia Partners”

New "Eurasia Partners" Listserv

Subscribe to the new Eurasia Foundation "Eurasia Partners" electronic newsletter for current information on:
- new partnership grants;
- Eurasia Foundation announcements;
- partnership grant highlights;

The listserv will be distributed approximately once a month beginning in March 2000.
To subscribe, please visit our web site located at http://www.eurasia.org.
You can also subscribe by creating an e-mail message addressed to listcaster@listserver.eurasia.org
with "subscribe partners" on the first line of the  message body.

This is an automated subscription procedure, so please do not send any other messages to that address.  Following your subscription request, an e-mail message will be automatically sent to you and ask that you reply and confirm your request with an assigned code. Additional information could be obtained at the contact given.
 

Molly Rushefsky
Program Assistant
The Eurasia Foundation
1350 Connecticut Ave, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 234-7370, ext. 146
Fax: (202) 234-7377
E-mail: eurasia@eurasia.org
 

Conference

On March 16-17, 2000 Eurasia Group and Metromedia International Telecommunications in cooperation with the Georgian government held a special conference: “Georgia as an emerging investent market.” Among the issues like “The Georgian Economy and Capital Market”, “Tax System and Accounting in Georgia”, “Small and Medium Size Enterprise Development in Georgia”, were discussed issues about telecommunications sector. Speeches were made by Minister of Post and Telecommunications of Georgia S.Esakia – “Information and Telecommunications Systems of Georgia”, General Director of Magti Group Georgia G.Kiknadze – “MagtiCom as a Model of Successful Investment in Georgia”, General Director of Telecom Georgia G.Khmaladze – “Development of Georgian Telecommunications” and J.Lominadze from Academy of Sciences - “Georgia and the Information Super Highway (Silk SAT)”.