There is an interesting post and discussion at http://cdixon.org/2012/08/15/e-commerce-startups/ about the future of e-commerce. It states that even though many e-commerce companies did not succeed on the 2000s the future nevertheless lies in e-commerce and perhaps a hybrid model with real world showrooms and experiences and off line fulfillment. The comments in the discussions include many gems including:

• offline strengths are immediacy and experience
• expertise and assistance key to the experience
• commoditized product sales will move online
• compete by selling used or your own items
• mobile payment bridging the gap between online and offline