Online shopping starting to click in Europe

As Internet connections become more available, figures show online shopping is finally starting to catch on in countries throughout Europe.

Many sites report monthly recent sales increases in the double digits, yet analysts say European tastes and preferences still pose a serious challenge to Net retailers. Many Scandinavians, for example, are reluctant to use credit cards, while French consumers are often unwilling to reveal the private information that e-commerce sites ask for.

Still, Internet research firm Jupiter Communications predicts that by 2003, more than 10 percent of Europeans will buy $18 billion worth of goods online.

A detailed report is available at www.washingtonpost.com.