We are continuing to hear about more and more ISOs who are making money selling Web page design and hosting services, from an ever increasing number of companies (see above interviews).
In fact, at the 1996 Mid-Year BSA (Bankcard Service Association) meeting in San Diego, one of the speakers was Brian Roemmele, President of Multiplex Media who The Green Sheet introduced to its readers in September 1995.
As we noted many times late last year, many merchants want a Web page even though they are not sure if it will actually create business for them.
With more than a year of major Internet hype it seems that the explosion of consumer activity on the Internet will have to wait a while longer. In fact, one would have to say at this point the Explosion is more like a World Wide Whimper.
As an example, one of the most widely read business sites (we are excluding sex subjects for this article) is "Shopping 2000," a year old Web site of 55 catalog businesses calling themselves a "Virtual Mall." This site is receiving nearly 15,000 people wandering through their halls (pages) daily. Even more recent sites such as, "Insight Direct," a seven-month-old seller of computer equipment, is receiving 2,500 hits per day.
However, these numbers represent window shopping only. Most companies have seen very little to date in sales, continuing to believe that it is due to such problems as consumers' fears of shopping on-line, a less than secure payment process and a wide number of technical problems.
Some of the leaders, however, believe that the Internet is simply not all it was thought it could be more than a year ago. As example, J.C. Penney Company, one of the pioneers in Web page shopping opportunities, is withdrawing from Shopping 2000, and is involved in a declining number of Internet ventures.
J.C. Penney Internet spokesman Hank Rusman now says much of electronic retailing is, "More planning than selling. Our approach to all of it has really been very tentative and has to be classified as a test in all categories."
Tracey Emerick, president of Receptive Marketing, a New Hampshire-based consultant for the Internet says, "It's not the salvation everybody was reading about in Business Week last spring."
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