The best business plan: focus on the facts. As the stock market gyrated wildly and the dot-com boom went bust, the Internet economy’s harsh unpredictability froze many companies in their tracks. But consumers didn’t stand still — they spent $6.1 billion online in December alone. 1 Armed with  the power that they’ve discovered online — convenience, confidence, and control — consumers will continue to push eCommerce despite the changing landscape.  Understanding how consumers think about and use technology can make the difference between a misguided product launch and a winning strategy. Long-term success rests  on knowing how consumers make decisions. The attitudes and experiences that drive them are just as important as their demographics. Some use the Internet to research a purchase but choose to buy it offline. Others go online with a specific purchase in mind  and don’t hesitate to enter credit card information to close the deal. What distinguishes these two groups of consumers? Age? Wealth? Technology optimism? Peer groups?  The more you know about consumers, the less likely you are to lose them to a nimbler, better informed competitor that’s acting on data and insight rather than chance and  past successes. 1 According to the National Retail Federation/Forrester Online Retail Index “Forrester has played a key role in [our] eBusiness transformation, dating back to the creation of [our eBusiness organization]. We fully value the insight that Forrester offers  to help shape our strategies as well as strengthen [our] leadership position in the automotive eBusiness arena.” President Of A Major Automotive Manufacturer’s eBusiness Forrester Research | Annual Report 2000 6 | 7