The merging of business operations with computers and the Internet has largely transformed our way of life. In less than a decade, the Internet evolved from a primarily academic network into a highly sophisticated commercial marketing medium. It encompasses a variety of business and personal utilities and is accessible to a wide range of organizations and individuals.

Statistics indicate phenomenal growth in the number of Internet users and consumers. In Taiwan, the government has embarked on a National Information Infrastructure project, in which the initial effort centered on the promotion of Internet use. Despite the recent explosion in Internet growth, little has been done to target the middle-aged group on the Web.

In an effort to discover potential Internet users, Internet consumers, and new uses of the Net, this research focuses on middle-aged people in Taiwan and studies the results of different attitudes toward and behaviors on the Internet. This research profiles the population into three groups: non-Internet users, Internet users and Internet consumers and determines factors that enable or deter each group from either using or purchasing on the Internet. The study also projects potential and popular products and features that may boost electronic sales.

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