Online Shopping Figures Equal March Madness for Brick and Mortar Businesses

March 18, 2008; 10:26 AM

(Fayetteville , NC) Spring has arrived, Saint Paddy’s Day is here, The Easter Bunny is about to start hopping, and March Madness has gripped the country!  What does all this mean?  For 2008 retail chains, it means consumers are turning online to facilitate their buying needs.  According to the latest Nielsen Global Online Survey on Internet shopping habits, more than 85% of the world's online population has used the Internet to make a purchase, increasing the market for online shopping by 40% in the past two years!  “The numbers are merely representative of a growing trend” says John Horton, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for web hosting provider Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc (www.AIT.com/?pdkw=pr-march-madness-fr-03-17-2008), “businesses are losing their foot traffic and have to turn online to make up for those losses.”  Bruce Paul, Vice President of Customized Research for Nielson Online echoed that sentiment by saying, “This shows the importance of capturing the tens of millions of new online shoppers as they make their first purchases on the Internet.  If shopping sites can capture them early and create a positive shopping experience, they will likely capture their loyalty and their money.”

AIT’s latest endeavor focuses solely on the small business individual confronted by the reality of having to move online in order to survive.  “This is why we partnered with AIT, to add value to our association memberships,” said Floyd Shorter, President of the Fayetteville Business and Professional League.  “Many small businesses more often than not lack the entry level features required to conduct business on the net,” Shorter said.  “The Business I account is a real value for any business seeking to husband precious operating capital wisely.”  With this offering from AIT, an entrepreneur receives a web site template, web store, on-line security certificate, plus an free advertising in the tyBit® (www.tybit.com/?pdkw=pr-march-madness-fr-03-17-2008) search engine. To learn more, visit http://www.ait.com/march-madness.php/?pdkw=pr-march-madness-fr-03-17-2008 or call 1-800-878-4084. The March Madness Business I account will get a small business on the net quickly and easily with the added features necessary, enhancing the marketability of any internet based business.

AIT is home to over 210,000 customers to include Fortune 500 companies as well as small businesses. AIT was founded in North Carolina and has grown into a multimillion dollar web hosting and technology company. Clients like Time Warner, Microsoft, Newsweek, U.S. Federal Government, PC World, United Nations, Business Week, The Oakridge Boys, State of North Carolina, Department of Defense, Wall Street Journal, ZDNet, Pizza Hut, GOODYEAR, Smart Money, Discover Radio, and many more have benefited from AIT's products and services. The company has been named 2 times to the INC. 500 list of fastest growing firms and 3 times to the Deloitte & Touche Fast 500 list.