"The volume of trade between businesses and consumers in Israel is expected to reach $100 million in 2003, compared to the current $4 million," Yacov Gelbard, general manager of Discount Investments Group company Netkardo, which specializes in e-commerce, told "Globes" today. Gelbard was speaking at the Israel Business Conference, at a session called "The E-commerce Revolution".
Gelbard stipulated the threats to e-commerce, among them the frequent changes in technology, which will force companies to make heavy investments in updating their sites. He said the biggest threat is from the unforseeable.
Gelbard said Israel lags four years behind the US in e-commerce application. "The volume of surfing, and the number of surfers in Israel is still relatively small, about 15% of the population, which is the rate experienced in the US four years ago," he said. He added that most Israeli surfers are young, well-educated males. This differs from the US, where 50% of surfers are female.
Until recently, Gelbard was President and CEO of the Blue Square Co-op chain. He is currently manager of Discount Investment's e-commerce start-up. Discount Investments is interested in becoming one of the country's largest e-commerce players, mainly through the acquisition of existing companies.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on December 12, 1999