The online retail industry is booming. E-commerce generated $231 billion in sales for U.S. retailers last year and is expected to increase 13 percent to $262 billion this year, according to Forrester Research. The growth of e-commerce, which already accounts for about 8 percent of total retail sales in the U.S., is expected to outpace sales growth at brick-and-mortar stores over the next five years, reaching $370 billion in sales by 2017. Retail companies are investing in