In acknowledgement of the growth of Internet marketing, the Commerce Department said Friday that it will start publishing separate figures for online sales in its annual retail survey. Until now, the Internet sales figures have been included with catalog sales. The numbers for 1998 and 1999 will be available around the summer of 2000.
The numbers are tracked by the Census Bureau, which is part of the Commerce Department.
According to figures by research firms, Internet sales averaged $3 billion in 1997, tripled to $9 billion last year and is expected to reach $30 billion next year.
Robert Pitofsky, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, who spoke at a news conference Friday with Commerce Secretary William Daley, warned online retailers that they must police themselves when it comes to privacy and consumer protection. He said the FTC has brought 58 Internet enforcement cases in the last 14 months and predicted that number will rise. “I wouldn’t want people selling information about which books I buy, or what records I buy,” Pitofsky said.
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