By the Stats: Online Sales Growth

¥ 39.5 million U.S. households shopped online in 2004, up from 36 million in 2003.

¥ 70 percent of online consumers say they research their purchases on the Internet before making a purchase.

¥ 29 percent of North American households used broadband connections to link to the Internet in 2004, up from 19 percent in 2003.