But there may be some maneuvering room left for newcomers in business to consumer e-commerce, he adds.
It has expanded in consumer e-commerce with its Taobao and Tmall platforms, which are among the world's busiest online outlets.
Other postponed IT programs include customer relationship management (25 percent), sales-force automation (22 percent), business-to-business e-commerce (18 percent) and business-to-consumer e-commerce (15 percent).
Forerunner focuses on both consumer-facing e-commerce startups and on technology companies that support e-commerce.
FORBES: Forerunner Ventures Raises $40 Million Fund For Next Generation E-Commerce
Chinese internet research consultancy, iResearch, estimates that consumer-to-consumer represented more than 87% of the Chinese e-commerce market last year.
FORBES: Pulling Back the Curtain on Taobao -- and Yahoo!'s Hidden Value
Chinese police last month detained four people suspected of trying to obtain consumer data from e-commerce site 360buy.com, which is operated by Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co.
WSJ: Chinese Online Retailer Yihaodian Probes Possible Security Breach
"We felt that working with Taobao Mall offered the best approach to reaching out to more consumers because it is so clearly the most influential online business-to-consumer sales channel, " said Christophe Bezu, chief e-commerce officer for Adidas, in an email.
Teen apparel retailer Aeropostale is looking to revamp its m-commerce (e-commerce through mobile) channel to strengthen its direct-to-consumer business.
FORBES: Aeropostale Dials Up $15 With Teens Shopping On Smartphone Apps
U.S. economic data due for release Friday includes the Empire State manufacturing survey, Treasury international capital data, industrial production and capacity utilization, the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey, and quarterly e-commerce retail sales.
FORBES: A.M. Kitco Metals Roundup: Gold Sharply Lower, at 6-Mo. Low, on Heavy Technical Selling
This more recent data--courtesy of Spending Pulse, the economic research arm of MasterCard (nyse: MA - news - people ) WorldWide--divides U.S. consumer discretionary spending into eight buckets: air travel, e-commerce, electronics, furniture, lodging (as in hotels, not primary residences), apparel, luxury (excluding jewelry) and restaurants.
But issues such as privacy or consumer protection that could undermine support for e-commerce need a different answer, albeit one that draws on laws and policies developed in the offline world.
The excitement now is in wireless e-commerce, in embedded consumer products and in network processors.
It is no doubt true that consumer technology such as social media, web sites for e-commerce and mobile apps have achieved spectacular innovation.
Consumer mistrust and timidity has been trotted out as a threat to e-commerce for as long as there have been public opinion surveys about the Internet.
Connor sources consumer products for over 60 clients that include global retailers, wholesalers, e-commerce firms and branded companies.
FORBES: China's Untapped Potential Far Outweighs Its Competitors
Many more e-commerce startups are beginning to follow their path in different categories and consumer segments.
Kraftfoods.com is one of the most visited consumer goods food and cooking sites, and HSN, likewise, is among the 10 most popular in the e-commerce space.
FORBES: Kraft, HSN Tie The Knot In New Multi-Brand Partnership
应用推荐