[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] From Entrepreneur[/caption]

Canada Business Network published results from 2012 Canadian Internet Use Survey.

"56% of Internet users in Canada ordered goods or services online in 2012. Those who did so averaged about 13 orders over the year, with an average total value of $1,452 per person."

"Canadians are continuing to gravitate to e commerce. The value of orders Canadians placed online reached $18.9 billion in 2012."

"83% percent of Canadians reported using the Internet in 2012; of those, 56% ordered goods or services online. Internet use varies widely by age, income and location. For Canadians aged 16 to 24, it is nearly ubiquitous; of those 65 and older, 48% used the Internet in 2012."

"58% of Internet users accessed the Internet from a hand-held wireless device (such as a smartphone or tablet)."

According to survey results published at mdm.com, "seventy percent of distributors plan to invest in e-commerce in 2014, highlighting that more distributors are recognizing the importance of the Web to the future of the channel."

"Most distributors still view their traditional competitors to be a bigger competitive threat than online-only players. Just 21 percent said that online-only players were a bigger threat. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said their distribution companies have e-commerce offerings. Fifty-two percent of those reported that e-commerce represents less than 5 percent of total revenue."

"Eighteen percent said they would spend more with traditional distributors, 17 percent said online-only players would get greater share, and two-thirds reported no plans to change how they allocate their spending."

“E-commerce is increasing in importance as customers become more comfortable with online distribution, especially for commodities.”

"In some sectors, e-commerce adoption depends on the customer base. While an electrical distributor reported adoption from industrial customers, electrical contractors have been “very slow adopters.”"

According to The Moscow Times, "consumers and industry insiders are blaming domestic e-commerce lobbyists for the customs clampdown that provoked several international shipping companies to halt express deliveries to private individuals in Russia last week."

"DHL, DPD and FedEx cancelled their express parcel delivery services after learning that all shipments, regardless of their value, would now have to be formally registered with customs registry requires an array of additional documentation, including a purchase receipt and the buyer's passport number."

"These heightened requirements are just the first of new customs policies set to tighten regulation and increase taxation of Russia's burgeoning e-commerce market. Customs authorities will soon begin levying a 30 percent duty on all purchases from foreign e-commerce companies valued at more than 150 euros ($200)."

"The Russian e-commerce market is a juicy target, with yearly growth of between 25 and 30 percent (...) Cross-border trade more than doubled in 2013, indicating that foreign companies are picking up steam in the race to capture the market."

"Delivery time is not the main consideration for Russians who shop abroad, most of whom are lured by products that are not available in Russia and better deals than they can find at home."

"The upcoming fall in the duty-free threshold will likely have a much more substantial impact on the market than the increased bureaucracy at the border(...) Russian consumers will nonetheless find a way to access the products they want at the price they can afford."

PR.com published findings of the “MENA B2C E-Commerce Report 2014” (MENA - Middle East & North Africa).

"According to the findings of this report, B2C E-Commerce presently accounts for less than 1% of total retail sales in the region, as there are obstacles to overcome to prepare the way for the boom. These obstacles include the low adoption of the online retail channel by local businesses, the predominance of cash on delivery payments, and low consumer acceptance of online shopping, compared to international benchmarks."

"Several fast growing local merchants have emerged in response to the developing interest in B2C E-Commerce in the Middle East. (...) Nevertheless, International sites Amazon and eBay are among the most popular shopping destinations of online consumers in the Middle East, though behind regional player Souq.com in terms of annual spending per shopper. Due to relatively low adoption of the online channel by local merchants, cross-border Internet shopping is common. There are even special services that assist consumers in buying from International websites and getting their orders delivered."

"E-Commerce is growing in the UAE at a rate of over 20% annually off increasing Internet and mobile coverage, while store-based retail is affected by high real estate prices. Over 80% of the population are Internet users, and of this number over 15% shop online; below 10% do so on mobile devices. (...) though security concerns and inability to touch and test products before purchase keep some consumers away from online purchases. (...) The most used payment methods in the UAE last year were credit card and cash on delivery."

"B2C E-Commerce is burgeoning also in Saudi Arabia, though largely restricted to sales of clothing, electronics, appliances and travel booking. Annual growth reaching almost +40% between 2012 and 2015 is expected. Over half of the population are Internet users and of them about 10% shopped online."

"In Qatar (...) Internet penetration on the total population reached almost 70% in 2012, with below 5% of the Internet users shopping online. B2C E-Commerce sales are forecasted to grow with a CAGR of over +20% between 2012 and 2015."

"Israel also has been a regional leader in Internet shopping, with a double digit share of Internet users making online purchases. Consumer electronics has been the product category with the highest B2C E-Commerce sales, but the fastest growing category in the next five years is expected to be groceries."

"In Bahrain, B2C E-Commerce accounts for over 5% of total retail sales, as almost 90% of the population is Internet connected and 5% of users shop online. Similarly, nearly 80% of the population in Kuwait uses the Internet, and the presence of online payment gateways there favors B2C E-Commerce. In Jordan, Internet penetration is over 70%, with just under 10% of Internet user shopping online, and B2C E-Commerce is expected to increase as trust in online shopping and payment emerges."

"Currently, only a small percentage of roughly half of the Egyptian population that has access to the Internet shops online. (...) In Morocco, B2C sales in the first three quarters of 2013 have already passed the transaction total for 2012. The number of online shoppers reached over 300,000 last year."

"Retail remains largely traditional in Iran, though the spreading Internet connectivity will facilitate E-Commerce. Just over a quarter of the Iranian population used the Internet in 2012. Development of B2C E-Commerce in Iraq has been held back by war, though payment and delivery infrastructure is emerging slowly. Internet users in Iraq accounted for less that 10% of the population last year. In Lebanon, B2C E-Commerce is in early stages of development, with most of the emerged players specializing by product categories. Internet penetration reached over 60% of the total population in 2012, but only a small one-digit share of Lebonese Internet users make purchases online. Finally, despite relatively high internet penetration rates in Oman, B2C E-Commerce is at a very early state of development, with overseas websites as the destination of most online shopping there."