The Internet is part of everyday life for most young Americans: About three-quarters of 18-24-year-olds regularly go online. Many have now added Internet shopping to e-mail and other activities. Since the mid-1990s, shopping online has grown from almost nothing to about five percent of all US retailing. Sales have been increasing by over 25% per year, and last year goods and services worth $93 billion were bought online.注4

注4 Sales have been increasing by over 25% per year, and last year goods and services worth $93 billion were bought online．销售额每年增长超过25%，去年价值930亿美元的商品和服务是通过网络购买的。此句中，by表示增减的幅度。

In the beginning, many predicted the end of traditional shopping but will this really happen? Are ordinary shops and even shopping malls about to close? Could millions of sales staff lose their jobs?

Well, Internet shopping certainly has big advantages. Travel websites can quickly find the cheapest flights, for example, and fares cost less than they dofrom a travel agent. In fact, most Internet prices are lower than shop prices. It can also be very convenient to do your shopping from home, day or night. (Internet sales always rise rapidly at Christmas because many people don't like the crowded shops and the cold weather.注5)

注5 Internet sales always rise rapidly at Christmas because many people don't like the crowded shops and the cold weather．圣诞节期间，网络销售总是快速增长，因为很多人不喜欢拥挤的商店和寒冷的天气。在世界各地的许多国家，圣诞节通常是一个销售高峰，人们购买礼物、装饰品和其他用于庆祝的商品。据统计，在美国四分之一的个人消费都是在圣诞购物季期间发生的。

However, there are problems. Orders can take two weeks or more to arrive and have to be returned if something is wrong. Many people worry about the security of their credit card details. Some also miss the fun of shopping with friends.

Online retailing has brought different levels of success to different types of business. Amazon.com is a very successful online retailer, but many others have failed. They spent too much, sold too little, had delivery problems and finally went bankrupt.

But, perhaps surprisingly, some traditional retailers have also done well. The Internet can offer a bigger market to small, specialist shops, for example, Bill Ross, owner of a farm shop, says,“Using the net is like opening shops all over Britain.”

Big traditional retailers have introduced their customers to multichannel shopping even more successfully.注6Online orders are simply supplied from their stores or warehouses. Walmart, the world's largest supermarket chain also cleverly mixes offline and online channels. For example, you can leave a film at a Walmart store and then collect digital images from the company's website.

注6 Big traditional retailers have introduced their customers to multichannel shopping even more successfully．传统的大型零售商把多渠道购物方式介绍给他们的客户，在这方面他们做得更为成功。multichannel意为“多渠道”，其中multi-是拉丁语前缀，意为“许多的”。

Multichannel shopping's biggest winner is often the customer. Look at American car buyers:75% now research everything from cost to color on the Internet before they go to the car dealer with the best offer.

It now seems clear that Internet shopping is not going to replace traditional retailing.注6Rather, it is making traditional retailing more flexible, efficient and competitive. This is great news for the consumer.

注6 It now seems clear that Internet shopping is not going to replace traditional retailing．现在看来，互联网购物不会取代传统零售业。此句中It是形式主语，真正的主语是that引导的主语从句。