A new report by Forrester Research (published by shop.org) shows that online retail is expected to hit a massive 211 billion dollars in 2006, a 20 percent gain over last year. Of this 211 billion, 73.4 billion is allocated to the travel industry. The runners up are:

Computer hardware and software —$16.8 billion

Automobiles and parts —$15.9 billion

Apparel, accessories and footwear —$13.8 billion

Cosmetics and fragrances —$800 million

Pet supplies—$500 million

Not sure what the rest are.

What does this mean for the online retailer? Getting your site found within the top end results is more important than ever in order to reap the rewards. It’s imperative to take advantage of a well managed organic website optimization plan and supplemented PPC campaigns in order to stay a step ahead of the competition. Let’s face it; it’s only going to grow from here.

Via ClickZ.